themeltingpot

On the recent events from the Television, not only many people lost their jobs, the stock was plunging -780 points in DOW yesterday, the worst market downturn in history. With all these terrified news, we were so worried about our future.

It starts from the 9/11 event 7 years ago. Since terrorist hijacked two of passengers plane, and crashed them into the Twins Tower in New York city. Our economic stability started to stumble. First on aviation industry. From this horrified incidents, our airline industry was going downhill. Less and less people were willing to take on plane for traveling. The worst was on domestic flies, less people dare to step on the plane again, they rather go by a car or use long - distance bus. Since then, many airlines facing financial difficulties, and even downsize if necessary. Meanwhile, merging and pay cut were all over the news. Even today, our customers, have to pay for the second luggage carrier fees to counterattack the high fuel cost.

Until recently, at the beginning of 2008, the gasoline price was skyrocketed, from $2.80 to $4.00 above. With that, also affects the products cost, and inflation matter. Because of high - priced gasoline, many car manufacturing plant around the country facing close down. Many of assembly line workers losing jobs, because of less people are going to choose high gas consuming vehicles. The future trend will be hybrid or other energy substitute vehicles.

Another horrified news is many financial institutions are facing bankruptcy. For instance, Washing - Mutual was taken over by JP Morgan & Chase. Because of its financial difficulties with many bad debt. Wachovia will be taken over by CitiGroup at the end of this year. All these situations were caused by real estate markets low sale, and many business going bankruptcy. Even thou our government trying to interfere the financial market by pass the bailout package of $700 billion, it was rejected by most unfavorable votes.

What will be our futures, and how we going to tackle these difficulties. In the upcoming election, will our new leaders come out a way to solve these problems, or we work together as a whole to step through these barriers, to start new economy. We have wait and see in time.

Atlanta, Georgia, has serious fuel shortage in the past 2 weeks. Was the delivery of gasoline delayed, or the refineries somewhere didn’t operate on the normal business days? We have no clues.
When you driving on the street, you could see the chaotic scenes, such as car after car waiting to pump gas. Sometimes these lines of waiting cars deter our flow of traffic. There were only a few of these gas stations have fuel to pump available. You probably have to travel a long distance, somewhat 15 miles or 20 miles away, or to another county to get gasoline. This was ridiculous, and we won’t never expect these scenario to happen.
About 2 weeks ago, hurricane Ike was predicted to hit Texas on the weekend. The price of gasoline suddenly skyrocketed on that day, and people started panicked. Long line of cars rush to the nearest gas station filled up their tanks, to prepare the late delivery of gasoline en route through Texas would be delayed. From then, our gasoline shortage crisis started. Until now, we still have panicky individuals, and the gas fuel never enough for all of us suddenly.
It wasn’t so bad on other states, some rumors say that, Washington D.C. has plenty of gas fuel, and the price listed was cheaper than southern states here. It seems the gas chaos only occur in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. All other states wasn’t affected at all. Some officials predict that gas shortage will be return to normal around the Columbus Day. Two more weeks of gas shortage will be expected. I hope every one of us can live with it temporarily.
This fuel shortage impact some of our neighborhood business too, such as restaurants. Since we didn’t have enough gas supply, less people are willing to go out to dine. So, the weekend will be slower than usual. Hopefully, after Columbus Days, our fuel shortage crisis will be over, and everything will be back to normal. We won’t have to pay a high- priced gas.

From the news report, we knew there are more immigrants flow into The States every year, whether they are legally or illegally. These large portion of Immigrants also consists of another great amount of people who come in without any legal documentation. We can frequently see it on TV, Mexican immigrants risk their lives to cross the border at all costs. With their families, they wade cross the rivers, or climbed through mountains. To reach where they suppose to be, they also need to pay several thousands of dollars to the “Coyote”, who provide transportations to help them. Mexico - USA border only a matter of natural barrier, and it is so closed. For Chinese illegal immigrants, they have to across a “million miles” of ocean to reach the New York coast, or to the California.

There is no doubt that poverty is the major reason compelled them to risk their lives to cross the sea. Their reasons are varied, from jobs weren’t available where they lived to living conditions was unbearable. All these reasons somewhat related to poverty problem. According to what they said, they rather risk their lives at this once, to seek a better chance in a Western country, rather than waited and couldn’t do nothing. Plus, there were numerous cases that their predecessors make it pretty well at The United States. They work hard, and they are guaranteed to have food to feed them. They work harder, they will have their cars soon, and probably there is a chance for them to get their own houses. With all these ideas, they borrow money from closed friends and families, to pay for the carriers fee to cross all the way from East to West, along the Pacific ocean. The arranged price is from $50,000 to $90,000. Normally, they were guaranteed a job when they arrive, and work to pay the rest of the fees.

Through the journey, some were lucky enough to make it to their destination; some weren’t so lucky, they might drown over the sea, or accidents with their carrier could happen all the time. When they arrived, the only jobs available were restaurants, sewing factories. Fu Zhou was the largest portion of them. They most likely work for restaurants, with buffet. To tackle the language barriers, they have to find their own spare time to learn the language. Most of them will stay at Chinatown, because this is the only place they can find the feeling of home when they first arrived. And that is only place they can find work if they don’t have any legal credentials.

Some are willing to get legal documents for future sake. The method is to marry a citizen, or waiting for amnesty granted. The first will be the easiest and fastest, effective method. The risk is that you might end up with a 60 above individuals who you have no feeling with. For the legal status sake, take it or leave it.

In the recent years, newly Chinese immigrants pouring into the states is growing in number. A large number of Chinese immigrants either settle in New York, or Los Angeles, California. They formed a huge community, so called Chinatown. They established their own businesses, such as restaurants to cater Chinese style cuisine; tailor stores to design and alter Chinese style of clothing; and many of them. For people who has language problem or who doesn’t speak English at all, they are most likely stay in Chinatown, in search jobs there. Because it is where they can communicate. This population is growing with constant amount of new immigrants. Some of them come for new opportunities; some of them joining with their family members; and others are for education or in-demand of jobs.

Among these population, exchange students are who came for better education, and in attempting to make a difference. Most exchange students are either sent from their wealthy parents to the States, or they funded themselves. From What I know, some of these students aren’t lucky enough to have a wealthy family to provide them a better education. For instance, a Chinese exchange student I knew back in college. He borrow money from friends and family relatives to come to the States for better education. In hope that he would return to China get a higher pay job. Besides studying, he has to work at the restaurant, and school library to pay for his tuition and dorm fees. He has to maintain good grades, at the same time, he has to work two jobs. It is not easy, but at least he has to finish his education. The tuition schools charge foreign students are 2 or 3 times expensive than local residents. Some of these exchange student might smart enough to finish their college education with a good grade, and hired by some giant corporation in the states here. The corporations or companies might help them apply for a green card in the future. In that case, they are most likely stay rather go back to China.

In the beginning of this era, China economy is rapidly booming. After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China fully demonstrated its power of wealth to the world to watch. It has money, and it is growing. Recently from a newspaper, China in demand of Chinese foreign students return to their motherland, to serve their home country. They will be nicely treated. It is a true comment, because since 1989 the Beijing incidents, so many of these intelligent escaped to other countries, most of them went to states or Europe.

Today, there are still huge amount of chinese students who in search of opportunities, they went to The United States. Until they find what they searching for, they might stay here, or return to their motherland.

A cousin of mine is America - born Chinese, a friend of mine has two children, they were born in the United States. The common characters of them are that they don’t speak much of Chinese, or they are unable to speak much of Chinese. Because they are too Americanized, they barely show any interest in learning their mother’s mother tongue. It’s understandable they don’t need another language. They born in the states, raise in the states, even most of their friends are English-speaking natives, why there is a need for second language. Second language is only for people who has their first-language other than English. They came to the states in trying to make a better living, and there is a need for them to learn English as second-language to survive.
I still remember her rejection to go to Chinese tutoring school on the Sunday weekend. Her arrogance on English above all other languages attitude. A couple years ago, her parents took her to China for visiting her grandparents in Guangzhou. According to her parents description, except Hongkong, She dislike the environment of the Mainland. Dirty, populous, traffic all annoyed her. It was the same experience occurred to my friend’s children. Even worse, they return to the states earlier than they planned, all because of their rebellious behavior on the entire trip.
A friend of mine once made a comment like this: those arrogant Chinese - Americans brats, even we have the similar skin color, they thought that they are better than us. On one hand, they spoke better English than our English - as - second - language peers, they can blend in easily with native speakers. But on the other, we can speak both languages, and with experience and practice, we might be able to balance other languages. It will be one of the great advantage for us.
In general opinion, learning a second language might be a challenge. Speaking only English might not be the only best option nowadays. As our world going toward globalization, knowing a second or third, fourth language is a must in this competitive marketplace. Lower the arrogance, trying to be humble.

Chinese community is a one of biggest minority community in the United States. The Chinese population were concentrated mostly in Chinatown of New York, Los Angels of California. In Chinatown, you can find business like restaurants, wholesale stores, lawyer offices, and supermarkets etc…… New immigrants just come to states from China, they have no idea to the new environment at the beginning. The only place they can relate to is Chinatown, feels close to home, and they can hear their mother tongue. It just providing a comfort for their homesick on the first feeling.
For the newly immigrants who stay in Chinatown mostly, might not have much opportunity to learn English, since everyone speaks Chinese only. They might even lost touch beyond the chinese community, and stays the way of their lifestyle back in China. For those who raised up with outside the Chinatown, who has children doesn’t speak Chinese at all. They might bring their children to chinatown for weekend schooling. Because there is school for children who needs to learn their parents languages.
Chinatown might be just a haven for Chinese immigrants to keep their tradition way of living, or a shelter from outside other than chinese community.

In China town, or Chinese communities, one of the notable features is chinese restaurants. Early Chinese immigrants move to the States with their knowledge of Chinese cuisines. It is one of surviving skills for early chinese immigrants. Chinese food attracts more audiences in the recent years with their variety choice of dishes. It not only attracts native American, but also other immigrants, like Mexicans, Korean etc…..
There was a period of time, most Chinese immigrants depends on restaurant to make a living. Especially those who can’t speak English. There were large number of amount of Chinese who has language problem, the only job that they can resort to is Chinese restaurant. In there, they find their common language, and make the food they used to make at home. Also, some visa students rely on chinese restaurant to make extra cash for tuition or for expensive textbooks. They serve as dishwashers or wait persons.
Some Chinese restaurants serve southern style cuisine of China, like the restaurant that serve Dim Sum in the morning as brunch. Dim Sum was southern style feature, and the main purpose is for breakfast. And there were other Chinese restaurants that serve Northern Style Chinese cuisines, like those restaurants serving spicy meals, with bun, noodles.
Now a day, the widespread and most famous type of Chinese restaurants is buffet. Because buffet was prepared ahead of time in large quantity, and the famous feature of it is economic, and many varieties of choices. The main targeted customers are low budgets and expect the get more. Somehow buffet gain popularity for a while, and many adopted the same feature.

We learned it from history class, in the early century, Chinese immigrants are brought to the states to help build the railroad tracks. The wage they gained were minimal or they were just treated like slaves; work for the meals. Why were they willing to travel half of the world to strange land, and submitted under such brutal treatment? It was traced back to the Early Ming Dynasty, European missionaries along with business traders travel far on the ocean, reach to the continent of China. Along preaching the religion of christianity and recruit the new followers; they spread out flyers and rumors, there is a land in West, where you have to sail for 30 days, upon arrival, you will find gold bullion on mine, on sidewalk. It is a gold ticket for future. All the sudden, hundreds to thousands volunteers signed for this journey.

Upon arrival, they were shackled, forced to work under severe condition to dig mine, build railroad tracks. Ever since then, they couldn’t return to their homeland, they settled in. They build their own communities; they gave birth to a new generation (so called Chinese - American); They reshape their culture (the combination of chinese and American). Now a day, still hundreds of thousands Chinese risk their lives over the sea in hope to reach this land. They hope that they can find a new haven for a better life. A better life for their next generations. Or they couldn’t stand the poverty in their homelands, in hope to find a better future in a strange land. The biggest chinese communities are spread out on several states. The most concentrated Chinese communities are located in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

We learned from history, Columbus led a group of navigators in search of shortcut to Eastern India for the profit of trade.  Ironically, he discovered new continent.  Afterward, people from Europe continually cross over sea to settle in the newly discovered land.  The rest of the story is that they all tried to find a new beginning, away from their native-born mother land, for different reasons, either politically, legally or economically.

Nowadays, United States of America is consisting of more immigrants (so called minority) than ever before.  They were coming here for the same reasons as their predecessors, in searching opportunities, freedom, or escape of persecution, etc….. The colorful thing about this place is that we can live in harmony although we are consisted of many different cultures, languages, differences in view of this world.  We might be able to learn the differences from each other, even we all have different backgrounds.  Hispanics, Asian, caucasian, African - American, we all share our customs and listening to each other’s different point of views.  We are all trying to share with and accept each others with our tolerance, and curiosity.  Through this tolerance and curiosity, we open our eyes toward new things, and discover new things.  For food instance, you always wonder what is vietnamese food taste like, how spicy is Thai food.  Through these new experiences, you might discover other than your own cultural cuisines, there are other cuisines are equally delicious to taste.  That makes our lives colorful, to see the big wide world through different experiences.  We called United States is a melting pot, because we are all come from different backgrounds, and we all harmony living in a same place to share our differences.  We should treasure this gift, and respect each other.