Ep. 7 - Same Age, Different Lives

Editor: Rita Li

Writers: Carrie Song, Rita Li

Seventeen-year-old Fang left everything back home in Fujian: friends, family, and her so-planned-out future. But if there was one thing that came with her, it was hope. Hope that she could suddenly start fresh in a brand new country: America. On average, she spent fourteen hours per day working six days a week as a cashier in a PA Chinese restaurant. Occasionally, her boss told her to work overtime. It was dull work where her working hours topped ninety hours, but Fang thought it worth it. Fang was happy. After all, the money she earned in a day was much more than her father could earn in an entire month.

Fang’s boss, Marry has three daughters and a son: seventeen-year-old Laura, fifteen-year-old Cindy, ten-year-old Amy, and seven-year-old Andy. The restaurant was busy, so Laura and Cindy would sometimes help out the restaurant while juggling school work. Fang knew how busy Laura and Amy must be academically, so during a shared shift, she tried to take over most tasks and complete them as neatly and swiftly as possible.

“Life is full of challenges, but only through continuous effort can we unlock infinite possibilities. No matter when or what difficulties we face, never give up, as the best things often come last,” Fang said.

It was like any other occasional day when Fang’s high school journey was suddenly brought back again. Laura had just asked Fang to help her with a math problem. Fang glanced over Laura’s shoulder. The problem was mainly mathematical expressions that required little English comprehension skills. Math was Fang’s strong suit, and coincidentally, she had already studied this material back in China. As a result, Fang was able to navigate the problem quickly and walked through her approach with Laura.

Laura will be attending the University of Pennsylvania next year while pursuing her dream of becoming a pharmacist. The little Fang, who is also the same age as Laura, once dreamed of becoming a doctor. Laura was the embodiment of what Fang had always hoped to become. From financial support to parents background, everything about Laura's future seemed so merrily bright. The thought of pursuing an education seemed so tempting, and for a brief moment in time, Fang wondered how nice it would be, too, if only she could go to school with Laura.

Despite being the same age, Fang and Laura are separated in completely different worlds. In addition to family support and a strong economic status, Laura was born with U.S. citizenship and protected under the constitutional laws. Laura has the opportunity to continue pursuing education without having to abandon her family and leave behind her identity. To a 17-year-old Fang, having family alongside her, a good foundation in English, and access to education are the only things she will ever crave. The two girls processed the same black hair and shared the same dream of saving lives through becoming doctors. However, Fang’s shoulders carry another responsibility of rescuing her family from poverty and threats. Fang envied the things Laura had, yet Fang had to sacrifice her education and swallow all her dissatisfaction. Fang knew the privilege Laura possessed was something she would never be able to catch up to. While Laura can boldly demand a dream about her future, Fang only hopes to see tomorrow and survive.

As Laura continued her math homework, Fang watched her. Her right hand frantically drew down more systems of equations. Laura was completely absorbed in her homework, unaware of her surroundings. A single tear trickled down Fang’s face, only to find her quickly wiping it away. Hiding her vulnerability, Fang’s hand squeezed the blue cloth as she continued scrubbing the table.