Interview with Jing Wen

For this essay, I have decided to interview a classmate named Jing Wen. Jing recently moved to New York City five years ago and I was interested in learning more about her transition from mainland China to a city as diverse as New York. The interview was a success because I gained a lot of knowledge about the Chinese culture and her experience while making the American culture her own.

Yaya Camara

Professor Harris

Writing for Social Science

27 Feb 2020

First Draft

New York City (NYC) is the world’s example of a melting pot because it is currently home to over 800 languages ranging from all parts of the world (Nigel, 2018). Although residents of this city are used to its diversity, the newest NYC recruits are oftentimes shocked at the city’s complexities, customs, and disappointing realities. The story of Jing Wen and her adaptation to NYC life is no different. Although her time in Guang Xi did not prepare her for the interaction of different people, it helped her realize that the world offers her more than what is shown in her hometown.

The familiar scent of aging books puts me at ease while we search for a quiet spot in the library. We finally chose an area near the window overlooking the city. Jing seemed a little anxious about the interview as she asked to read the questions beforehand, but all of her nerves settled as she summed up her experience in Guang Xi, a province in Southern China; “It was the city with the best memories”.

Jing has an eye on the latest fashion trends; wearing a baggy white vest with a oversized sweater topped with white Yeezys 350. Whereas I, a native-born New Yorker, was wearing a black sweatsuit with bright blue crocs; giving her the score of who was more of a “New Yorker”. Regardless, I felt optimistic about the interview and the information Jing was going to share about her transition.

For seventeen years, she felt comfortable being around the people she loved, in the country she considers home. She boasts about the safety in her providence; how she and her middle school friends would stay outside until 3 or 4am, simply enjoying themselves. Since I started attending college, I have noticed my parents becoming more lenient on my unofficial curfew, so I wondered why she couldn’t do the same here? Nevertheless, I went on with the interview as she continued to speak about her time in China. As she was describing her experiences in China, I realized that the country holds a large part of her identity, so I wondered how would she adapt in NYC?

When I asked Jing about the time she first came to NYC, she recalled with a bright smile. Although her neighborhood has many Mandarin speakers, she moved to Flushing, Queens five years ago, she still felt like an anomaly in her highschool, Flushing International Highschool. “So after I entered the right classroom and I was late, like really late, all of the people in the class focused on me. I was in awe with how she was able to speak on an embarrassing time so lightheartedly. It made me wonder maybe her transition was easy after all?

Jing’s smile soon diminished as I asked her about the things she could not do anymore. Jing used to share big holidays with all of her family while living in China. As a first generation African American, I also share similar feelings during holidays where I can not spend holidays with my extended family, just with the families that migrated to America. Qing Ming was one of those holidays for Jing; it is a festival commemorating one’s ancestors; you would burn offerings to the dead and the offerings would go up to the heavens, she described. Her somber face was apparent as she sat in her seat staring at the window watching the busy street.

      After sitting for a while, I asked if she came up with any solutions for being miles away.Her sadness gradually dissipated as she described the facetime calls she and her family would have with her family back home. Although, this does not make up the distance, it is good that she can at least see them. She also taught herself how to cook for the sake of eating traditional Chinese food, not the “simple version.” And for Qing Ming, her family came up with another solution; “we send money to my family and make them do it in China”. Although these solutions do not transport her back to China, they all help her cope with being miles away from her forever home.

       Lastly, the NYC “attitude” also rubbed off on her. When she first came to NYC, she quickly noticed that everyone likes to be independent, something that is completely different in China. “People in my country go out with their friends all the time. They don’t want to seem lonely.” She asked me about this phenomenon and I wondered why are we truly like that? Nevertheless, this mindset is the popular one and although it took a while for Jing to catch on to it, once she did, she fell in love. With a huge smile, she boasted about all of the things she enjoyed by herself. These actions, although may seem small to us, helped her learn and appreciate her own company daily.

“But here, I feel like people here don’t care about what I do or say because I know everyone here is an individual.” This individual is what I view Jing as. In the interview, I saw a young confident woman who isn’t ashamed of her background, but also embraces the melting pot that she is a part of. She embodies the values and attitudes apparent in this city, and stories like her are the reason why NYC is truly the best in the world.

Works Cited

Amaya, Nigel. (2018, November 9). How Many Languages Are Spoken in NYC? Retrieved from                   https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-languages-are-spoken-in-nyc.html