Chinese-born intellectual Margaret Zhao was thwarted from education from the 3rd grade onward as she was labeled the 'enemy of the state.' She continued to learn where she could (the odd book here, test papers confiscated there.) So, when leader Deng Xiao Ping opened the universities in 1979, she was ready to take a shot at one of the highly-coveted spots. (Less than 1% of applicants received an acceptance.) Margaret did not receive much support--many proclaimed she was "too old" (23), calling her a 'toad attempting to eat swan.' This is an old Chinese saying suggesting a person is dreaming of the impossible. (See Zhao Interview part one. )
Margaret forged ahead anyway.
“I just wanted to go and just believed in myself and made my effort." She spent every free moment before the university entrance exam preparing--reading books, taking lessons from her educated brother-in-law, listening to the English programs on the radio. As she had declared that English would be her major, she didn’t have to test for Physics and Chemistry.
“I just wanted to go and just believed in myself and made my effort." She spent every free moment before the university entrance exam preparing--reading books, taking lessons from her educated brother-in-law, listening to the English programs on the radio. As she had declared that English would be her major, she didn’t have to test for Physics and Chemistry.
“The Chinese
education system is different from the U.S. In China when you take the test
you have to choose what major. Also you
pre-decide what college you want to go to. You fill out the application and
decide what three colleges you want. Then you take the test. It
depends on how much score you have, whether the school will take you or not.
“The national
entrance test was very severe—a serious test. You had only one chance to
succeed.”
The test took three days, and included politics, history, geography, Chinese, and English. Margaret did not get into her first choice. She did not get into her second choice. But she did succeed. She was accepted into E Xi Normal College in Szechuan province."To the local people it was like a miracle. For many years the local schools used me as an example, saying, ‘If you work hard, you can succeed like Really Enough.’"
Upon graduation she became a high school English teacher. She met an American man, married, and came to the California in 1989 “where she was immediately struck,“by the waste of food, and the use of paper and water. It was amazing to me. Overwhelming.” At the same time, she was equally amazed by all the lovely possessions people had. And she couldn’t believe that people mocked the President openly. Or used the word “sex” on the radio. But the hardest adjustment for her was English.
“I thought my English was good –I was a high school English teacher--and I would fit in well. But immediately I understood that when people speak their normal speed I could not understand but every other word. I watched TV, and didn’t know which was the program and which was the commercial. Suddenly I felt like I could not work anywhere. I felt very helpless.”
Still, Margaret went about looking for work—as a cashier at Taco Bell (although she'd never eaten Mexican food), a clerk at UCI Medical Center, a stand-up Comedian--anyplace that would give her a chance. She went to night school to improve her language skills. When she did find a job, she still found herself isolated.
“The coworkers didn’t pay much attention to you. What do you have in common to talk? I didn’t know about shopping. I didn’t know about make up. I didn’t know about men. These daily life things."
She persevered and eventually found her niche as an author and speaker, sharing not only her story, but her thoughts on life, community, world peace.
(...to be continued. Next: An Aqueduct of Many Colors: Margaret Returns to China)
 |
| photo courtesy bbc.com |
Upon graduation she became a high school English teacher. She met an American man, married, and came to the California in 1989 “where she was immediately struck,“by the waste of food, and the use of paper and water. It was amazing to me. Overwhelming.” At the same time, she was equally amazed by all the lovely possessions people had. And she couldn’t believe that people mocked the President openly. Or used the word “sex” on the radio. But the hardest adjustment for her was English.
“I thought my English was good –I was a high school English teacher--and I would fit in well. But immediately I understood that when people speak their normal speed I could not understand but every other word. I watched TV, and didn’t know which was the program and which was the commercial. Suddenly I felt like I could not work anywhere. I felt very helpless.”
Still, Margaret went about looking for work—as a cashier at Taco Bell (although she'd never eaten Mexican food), a clerk at UCI Medical Center, a stand-up Comedian--anyplace that would give her a chance. She went to night school to improve her language skills. When she did find a job, she still found herself isolated.
“The coworkers didn’t pay much attention to you. What do you have in common to talk? I didn’t know about shopping. I didn’t know about make up. I didn’t know about men. These daily life things."
She persevered and eventually found her niche as an author and speaker, sharing not only her story, but her thoughts on life, community, world peace.
(...to be continued. Next: An Aqueduct of Many Colors: Margaret Returns to China)
No comments:
Post a Comment