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Please, excuse my English and the whining. I just want to share my heart's feeling.
I'm an int'l student from Hong Kong,It has been 9 months since I attend school here ,
Overall bellevue/seattle is a nice place, people are polite, even towards non american person. (im chinese)
Yet I feel disconnected with the community. I acknowledge the fact the non-american, no matter an indian person working in microsoft, or an asian student doing school here might not enjoy the connection with the community.
It is frightening that being physically present, but invisble in this city.
I understand that foreign people might not be as welcomed as in many places in this world, especially when in severe economic times.
I try my best to act as a good person, not bothering the local at all .. Still, the harder I try to blend in and try to make friends, the harder the disappointment.
I truly wish that, I can have more than a polite smile.
Have a nice day
Please, excuse my English and the whining. I just want to share my heart's feeling.
I'm an int'l student from Hong Kong,It has been 9 months since I attend school here ,
Overall bellevue/seattle is a nice place, people are polite, even towards non american person. (im chinese)
Yet I feel disconnected with the community. I acknowledge the fact the non-american, no matter an indian person working in microsoft, or an asian student doing school here might not enjoy the connection with the community.
It is frightening that being physically present, but invisble in this city.
I understand that foreign people might not be as welcomed as in many places in this world, especially when in severe economic times.
I try my best to act as a good person, not bothering the local at all .. Still, the harder I try to blend in and try to make friends, the harder the disappointment.
I truly wish that, I can have more than a polite smile.
Have a nice day
I'm very surprised you feel this way. My wife came to this country from Taiwan almost 60 years ago when there were not nearly as many Chinese here. I met her in college, like you, she knew absolutely nobody and could speak very little English, yet she managed to make herself very popular, she captured my heart and I married her. Thirty years later, her two brothers, with wifes and families came and we helped them get establlished, but they still don't speak English. My Chinese cousin is a clothing designer and still mantains a very prosperous clothing business in Taiwan where her company is under contract with Sears and Bloomburgs in New York, but they also maintain a very nice lake view home in Mathews Beach, her son has graduated from the University of Washington and was president of the Chinese Club. He now is a sales representative for a shoe company in China and he maintains offices in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. She has two daughters, they both married Chinese from the Mainland. One is a leading child psyhcologist in Bellevue and they live in a very nice home on Lake Sammamish. They have two daughters. One is very talented and very young, writes very well and performs with a symphony in Bellevue. The other daughter's husband married a person from Hong Kong, he doesn't know English but they managed to establish a very fine resturant here in Seattle. My wife's other brother owns a Night Club in Taiwan. He sent his son to Seattle. You must be pretty much like this son, who is my nephew. When my nephew came here, unlike you, he knew no English and he was only a nineth grader in the public school. This very young man was alone in a strange city, he knew no one but us but he attended Roosevelt High School here in Seattle where he got his U.S. education and learned English. Although he didn't go to college, he was very adapt with his hands and liked making jewelry. With hard work and the love of designing jewelry, he went back to Hong Kong where he apprenticed at a leading jewelry company. He married a woman from Taiwan and now is a leading jewelry designer for a prestigeous jewelry store in Bellevue. They have just bought a very lovely new home.
Now for our immediate family: Our daughter, who is half Chinese, attended the Seattle Public Schools until high school. She didn't attend high school here because she was admitted to The United World Colleges on Vancover Island. From there she was admitted to the Clairmont McKinna College in California then Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where she got a Master's Degree in International Relations. She interned in the U.S. councilet in Kat-Man-Do and now works in a leadership position in Seattle, at PATH after working for Micosoft. Her husband, my son-in-law, is second generation Chinese. His parents escaped China with absolutely nothing but the cloths on their backs. His dad is now a retired Boeing Engineer with a very fine home in Bellevue. His mother likes to sing opera, she has worked for the Metopolitan Opera in New York but retired from the University of Washington as a librarian in the Chinese division. Her brother managed to go to a University in Germany where he learned science. He is now retired from leading company as a scientist, is very weathy and maintains two very nice homes, one in Bellevue and one in New York and likes to travel all over the world with his wife.
What I am saying is this, don't be discouraged. All this history about my family evolved from my wife who came to this country from China, alone, like you, not know anybody and hardley able to speak English.
There is a large Chinese community in Bellevue. What I suggest you doing is attend the First Prysbyterian Church in Mercer Island. There is a Chinese group that meets there and they will help you. I know them. You will even meet a very wealty Chinese person who owns several hotels in Bellevue and has an incredible waterfront mansion in Medina. He came here just like you and my relaives.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,163,488 times
Reputation: 8105
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2005aaa
Please, excuse my English and the whining. I just want to share my heart's feeling.
I'm an int'l student from Hong Kong,It has been 9 months since I attend school here ,
Overall bellevue/seattle is a nice place, people are polite, even towards non american person. (im chinese)
Yet I feel disconnected with the community. I acknowledge the fact the non-american, no matter an indian person working in microsoft, or an asian student doing school here might not enjoy the connection with the community.
It is frightening that being physically present, but invisble in this city.
I understand that foreign people might not be as welcomed as in many places in this world, especially when in severe economic times.
I try my best to act as a good person, not bothering the local at all .. Still, the harder I try to blend in and try to make friends, the harder the disappointment.
I truly wish that, I can have more than a polite smile.
Have a nice day
There are several Chinese communities in Seattle. I would recommend you start by joining a Chinese club at your college, eating at Chinese restaurants where they speak your dialect, etc. This will increase your harmony with the Chinese part of the community. That is a good way to begin.
Later you will naturally start to meet more and more Americans who may not be Asians, especially as your spoken language skills improve. Some Americans like me can be nervous speaking with foreigners if we only understand half of what the person is saying. I recently lived next to a man from Laos, but I didn't talk much with him because I only understood a few things he said, and that made both of us feel bad.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,570 posts, read 81,167,557 times
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What school are you going to? I have been carpooling from the Eastgate Park & Ride and passed through Bellevue College every day and noticed a lot of Asian students there. A quick check of their website shows that over 20% of the students there are Asian. In my carpool there were 3 Asians that I work with, 1 Chinese, two Vietnamese.
I'm very surprised you feel this way. My wife came to this country from Taiwan almost 60 years ago when there were not nearly as many Chinese here. I met her in college, like you, she knew absolutely nobody and could speak very little English, yet she managed to make herself very popular, she captured my heart and I married her. Thirty years later, her two brothers, with wifes and families came and we helped them get establlished, but they still don't speak English. My Chinese cousin is a clothing designer and still mantains a very prosperous clothing business in Taiwan where her company is under contract with Sears and Bloomburgs in New York, but they also maintain a very nice lake view home in Mathews Beach, her son has graduated from the University of Washington and was president of the Chinese Club. He now is a sales representative for a shoe company in China and he maintains offices in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. She has two daughters, they both married Chinese from the Mainland. One is a leading child psyhcologist in Bellevue and they live in a very nice home on Lake Sammamish. They have two daughters. One is very talented and very young, writes very well and performs with a symphony in Bellevue. The other daughter's husband married a person from Hong Kong, he doesn't know English but they managed to establish a very fine resturant here in Seattle. My wife's other brother owns a Night Club in Taiwan. He sent his son to Seattle. You must be pretty much like this son, who is my nephew. When my nephew came here, unlike you, he knew no English and he was only a nineth grader in the public school. This very young man was alone in a strange city, he knew no one but us but he attended Roosevelt High School here in Seattle where he got his U.S. education and learned English. Although he didn't go to college, he was very adapt with his hands and liked making jewelry. With hard work and the love of designing jewelry, he went back to Hong Kong where he apprenticed at a leading jewelry company. He married a woman from Taiwan and now is a leading jewelry designer for a prestigeous jewelry store in Bellevue. They have just bought a very lovely new home.
Now for our immediate family: Our daughter, who is half Chinese, attended the Seattle Public Schools until high school. She didn't attend high school here because she was admitted to The United World Colleges on Vancover Island. From there she was admitted to the Clairmont McKinna College in California then Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where she got a Master's Degree in International Relations. She interned in the U.S. councilet in Kat-Man-Do and now works in a leadership position in Seattle, at PATH after working for Micosoft. Her husband, my son-in-law, is second generation Chinese. His parents escaped China with absolutely nothing but the cloths on their backs. His dad is now a retired Boeing Engineer with a very fine home in Bellevue. His mother likes to sing opera, she has worked for the Metopolitan Opera in New York but retired from the University of Washington as a librarian in the Chinese division. Her brother managed to go to a University in Germany where he learned science. He is now retired from leading company as a scientist, is very weathy and maintains two very nice homes, one in Bellevue and one in New York and likes to travel all over the world with his wife.
What I am saying is this, don't be discouraged. All this history about my family evolved from my wife who came to this country from China, alone, like you, not know anybody and hardley able to speak English.
There is a large Chinese community in Bellevue. What I suggest you doing is attend the First Prysbyterian Church in Mercer Island. There is a Chinese group that meets there and they will help you. I know them. You will even meet a very wealty Chinese person who owns several hotels in Bellevue and has an incredible waterfront mansion in Medina. He came here just like you and my relaives.
There are several Chinese communities in Seattle. I would recommend you start by joining a Chinese club at your college, eating at Chinese restaurants where they speak your dialect, etc. This will increase your harmony with the Chinese part of the community. That is a good way to begin.
Later you will naturally start to meet more and more Americans who may not be Asians, especially as your spoken language skills improve. Some Americans like me can be nervous speaking with foreigners if we only understand half of what the person is saying. I recently lived next to a man from Laos, but I didn't talk much with him because I only understood a few things he said, and that made both of us feel bad.
What school are you going to? I have been carpooling from the Eastgate Park & Ride and passed through Bellevue College every day and noticed a lot of Asian students there. A quick check of their website shows that over 20% of the students there are Asian. In my carpool there were 3 Asians that I work with, 1 Chinese, two Vietnamese.
Hmm, i think that culturally there is huge difference and that may be why you feel so isolated. Going to the Asian communities is great idea and what i first thought of myself. I go up to Seattle regularly to visit with a friend and his apt is in the International district...mainly asian area. Since most my best friends are both Chinese and Japanese i love being around the food and stores.
One thing you will have to do is try to put yourself out there...join a club at your college, ask some one you think is nice to go to lunch with you ....or study with you. You need to extend yourself which i know is hard for many Asians.
Seattle i feel is very friendly city and lived(visited) in Redmond right next to Bellevue and now in dt Seattle...both had plenty of friendly people. I also noticed there are tons of things to do...lots of music and art going on...that as college student you most likely get discounts. So go out and enjoy all the benefits of living in such a beautiful place!
I am sure if you ask some of your fellow college students out do to something...you will have more friends than you ever dreamed about! Also...get to know your neighbors in your apt building/ residence.
I made many friends both old and young just by being friendly with my neighbors.
GOOD Luck....and sure it will be much better soon!
Lots of Asians at the games stores and centers (e.g., Cafe Mox in Ballard) I have been to and chess area of Crossroads Mall on some nights. Are you in into any kind of games such as Magic the Gathering or Chess? The one good thing about getting addicted to those kinds of games is that you will make some really tight knit friends of all races -- although they might have very few other interests outside those games. Also join Meetup.com and search for groups and hobbies you are interested in. I made about 20 acquaintances (several of them are now reasonably close friends) just from using Meetup.com over the past year.
Lots of Asians at the games stores and centers (e.g., Cafe Mox in Ballard) I have been to and chess area of Crossroads Mall on some nights. Are you in into any kind of games such as Magic the Gathering or Chess? The one good thing about getting addicted to those kinds of games is that you will make some really tight knit friends of all races -- although they might have very few other interests outside those games. Also join Meetup.com and search for groups and hobbies you are interested in. I made about 20 acquaintances (several of them are now reasonably close friends) just from using Meetup.com over the past year.
Speaking of games; Most Chinese new arrivals seem to move to Bellevue, infact the International Dist. is now refered to as 'Little 'Nam'. My son-in-law's dad has a continuous game of Marjang going on in his house but he moves about from home to home, playing Marjang with friends. That is, when he's not out playing golf. Seems like all the Chinese in our family are golf addicts. Infact, when my brother-in-law was still in Taiwan he also worked for a golf resort in Mainland China. I'm sure you'll meet a lot of new friends if you take golf lessons in Bellevue.
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