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Are you an immigrant?

I am an immigrant I came to Hawaii from China with my family there years ago. We had a few problems when we first arrived in Hawaii.

Language was our first problem. English wasn’t our first language. Brother and I could speak a little English, but my parents were non-English speakers. We didn’t know how to apply for the resident card and the social security card. These were done with my cousins’ helps. When we went to the store to buy something, we spoke simple English or used body language. We were scared to talk to people who spoke English. Therefore, we communicated with the same ethnic people who spoke Chinese, like friends, relatives, and some immigrant workers. We didn’t have a large of communication in Hawaii.

Employment was our second problem. We didn’t have very much money, so we found jobs as soon as possible. My parents found employers to hire non-English speakers for jobs as dishwashers, kitchen helpers, and cooks. The Chinese employees were paid low wages. My parents worked 12 hours a day, six days a week. Brother and I were fortunate to find jobs from friends who introduced us, so we didn’t work so hard.

Habitation was our third problem. We separated to live in different places when we first arrived in Hawaii. I lived with my cousin a couple of months, and my parents and brother lived with my grandmother. We rented a small apartment after we got jobs.

We live in small place and hard, so I know that education is very important here. I want to find a good job and improve my live, so I should go to school. That is necessary.