Sue Lee, her husband and child found sponsorship in the U.S., but sadly, her mother and siblings left her behind to settle in Germany. Upon arrival in the U.S. in September, 1979, Sue and her family lived with their sponsors for three months. Sue was homesick and missed her family and friends deeply. And, at the back of her mind was how to get a job to take care of her family and pay back the Red Cross for the airline tickets to the U.S. A married woman working “outside” was a new cultural concept for her. She knew no English at all and had to start with the alphabet. There was a lot of sign language used in the house and Sue wrote everything down. Little by little she learned enough English to communicate. When Sue and her family moved from their sponsor’s house, they shared their two-bedroom apartment with another Cambodian family to make ends meet. Sue and her husband attended some ESL classes, too.

With help from the Asian Community Center, Sue and 18 other people applied for jobs at the Hilton Hotel. Sue, then 3 months pregnant, was the only applicant chosen for a job as housekeeper at $4.25 an hour. She worked for a while but e quit when she could not afford the babysitting as a part time employee. Her manager kept calling, and Sue negotiated a full time job in the laundry that required more English. By writing everything down, she learned the job quickly. To improve her English further, she bought an ESL book and tape sharing the cost with a friend and studied whenever she could find a moment. This diligence, along with her English work environment, advanced her language skills. To her surprise, she was asked to train other employees. Next she became a room inspector. Working in the hotel “is like a family teaching me great, great respect for people, and how to work with people, even I no speak the same language.” Sue Lee’s husband got a better job, and she is now the manager of housekeeping at the Sheraton. They own their own home, have successfully raised their children and finally feel comfortable in their adopted country.

Sue Lee’s life is a study in resilience. Her interview shows her ability to remain calm and patient with her circumstances. She also has confidence. As she said, “During that time, I believe in myself.” As Sue tells her story she details how she came to the U.S. and learned to live here, and how she raised her children and negotiated the work world at the same time. She talks about choices, for example, foregoing a bus ride home from work to use the $.25 fare to do the laundry. She is proud of her journey to become "someone."

This short excerpt from Sue Lee’s long interview is a delightful story of her persistence learning how to use a computer program at work.