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Growing up in China
Hi my name is Lee Ying. I was born on July 4, 1857 in Guangxi, China. I grew up on a small farm with my parents. I also grew up with three younger brothers. After my grandfather died my grandmother moved into the house with us. Since I was always working on the farm, I never had a lot of school time. I always wanted to go to one of those big colleges in America. I also wanted to farm for the rest of my life. When I was 13 my father moved to America to farm, but we never heard back from him. -
Boat ride to America
I made the bold decision to move to America in June of 1886. Within days I was already packed and ready to move. I was drawn to America because of their schooling, and good farming grounds. I planned to move to America to finish my last ear of college and farm for the rest of my life. The boat ride was 3 weeks long and I got very sick. I didn't know anyone there. I just couldn't wait to be n America. -
Checking in
When we finally got to America my sea sickness was all gone. I felt good and ready to start a new life. When we got the is was like a sea of people from all over the world all in one place. It was very hot and stuffy because it was june there but still not as hot as China. The average processing time was 3-4 hours. First we were inspected for visible ailments then we went on and they asked us a few questions. Finally we were able to go anywhere we wanted in the country. -
Finishing my Schooling
I decided to finish my schooling in America at a small one year college in Iowa. I was getting a degree in agriculture and farming. School was not as magiacal and amazing as it sounded. Everyday I was descriminated by whites. They made fun of me and called me stupid. I never was good enough for them. However, I did happen to make a few friends. I finished my schooling with staight A's and was one of the smartest in my class but that still was not good enough for those white demons. -
Getting a job Farming
After college I went to a farm where many Chinese immigrants worked, and I got a job there. It was owned by a mean but fair white man. He was very old and didn;t have a wife or children so he hired many workers. I would work 10 hours a day in the hot sun. I was very often dehydrated and bored. Farming was not the same here as in China. I missed my family. There were few white workers on the farm but a few of the ones who did were very nice. Life was still great for me. -
Being Depoted Back Home
Life in America was dificult because of all the racial descrimination. However, I still wanted to stay forever. There was word around the farm that many Chinese workers were being deported if they could not prove that they had either parents, or a husband that were American citizens. Since I was alone in America and had family only from China, I recieved a letter saying I had to leave. I was just settling down in America and they were already forcing me to leave. I guess it was time to go home.
