-
Why I came
I was all alone in China and i had no money, and no opportunities to work. Things were starting to get worse and leaving China for America was the only way to get out. I knew i needed to start a family and i was having no luck finding a wife in China. If i wanted to make more money and have the chance to sucseed now was the time to begin my journey. -
Right off the boat
It took me a year to make enough money to buy the boat ticket to get me to America. After a long, rought trip on the boat, I finally made it to America. My first experience in the land I thought was my new home was getting beat up right on the docks. The men who beat me said "we don't want your kind here, "this is our country, go back to China." -
A close call
After i had gotten beat up badly and left on the ground badly hurt and very bloody, a group of men came up and were about to rob me. Once they looked close up they realized that all i had was the clothes i was wearing so they ran away as I was not worth their time and they didn't want to get caught. -
Everything is better.
I am hearing more and more good news about the west coast of America. There are more Chinese people in those parts and and they band togethe and it doesn't feel so far away from home, I hear they have more demand for rail roads and that means more jobs for people like me and a job means more opportunity to make money. -
It's time to go
After the "Chinese Exclusion Act" was put into place in American everything has been getting worse. We are getting treated worse and payed less then everyone else and we are not being treated fairly in a country that was supposed to be better and have more opportunities. I have decided that it is time to go the West and see if things are better there. -
Had Enough
America is not all it turned out to be, it is very discriminating twards my kind and we work longer hours than normal and get paied less, hopefully the south is better. -
Moving West
Moving out to the west was not all I expected to be. While there are there is more people like me out here, we are not treated as equal to the other railroad workers and we work harder and longer hours for less pay. As a Chinese man I am more accepted here but there is still alot of discrimination. it is still better than the city and feels like home, but I have not found a wife and still have no prospects for a family. -
I have found a home
I have finally found a place that feels like home. There is a new railroad with lots of jobs for Chinese men like me. There is a town where many people live that feels comfortable and feels like home away from home. This is a place where I could see starting a family, and a place where I could see myself with a wife and a kids, a place to call home. -
Starting to settle down
I have finally met a women to call my wife. We think we are going to settle down near China town where many other families are starting to put down roots. We spend alot of time there because of my work and we feel at home because almost everyone is Chinese and wants the same thing we want. A home, a community, a place to settle down and stay. -
My new family
After all the struggles i went through to get here I finally feel like everything has come into place. I have a wife and we had our first child. I am happier then I thought I ever could be. My job on the railroad is stable, my wife has a job sewing in small shop near by. My son is growing quickly and our community is continuing to grow. While I have struggled to find this comfort I am happy that I left China and came to America to start my life over.
