It was rather interesting to see how culturally different the Korean and Chinese factories were. In the Chinese factories, the atmosphere is more relaxed. The workers talked about their children, discussed various things. They could do their work leisurely or really quickly. They could come in whenever they want; there was no exact starting time when they began work, since they didn’t ned to punch in. Even the manager wasn’t there when they began working in the morning. When compared to the Korean factories, there is a striking difference. There is no common background that links the Koreans to their employees, who were Mexican and Ecuadorian. The only common thing that linked them together was their work ethic. Things were much more stricter and on schedule, rather than the lackadaisical events of the Chinese factories. I think it’s really interesting how the Korean employers even had knowledge of the Spanish language so that there is some sort of communication between the two different ethnic groups. Culturally, it makes sense why the Hispanics, who didn’t bring their children with them when they emigrated, would work with the Koreans whereas the Chinese, who did bring their children with them when they emigrated, would work with the Chinese. The Hispanics didn’t need that flexible schedule like the Chinese did, since there was no responsibility waiting for them at home.

It was also interesting to see how the different gender roles played into the factories as a result of cultural differences. Any type of factory job was an improvement for the Mexicans and Ecuadorians, no matter if they were male or female whereas majority of the Chinese workers in the factories were Chinese women, who made up nearly 97% of the working force. It made sense though, that to Chinese women, the factory job was ideal. It had a flexible schedule, and it wasn’t as physically strenuous as a restaurant job that required strength in carrying around plates, food and whatnot. The women who were telling their stories spoke of how they brought in their kids to work, or could just leave work to pick up their kids, later dropping them off at a relative’s place and then going back to work. At any other job, this kind of flexibility doesn’t work. This reminded me of when my mom used to work in a garment factory in Brooklyn when I was in first or second grade. I remember being with a cat in the factory, entertaining myself whenever my mom had to sew clothes. I don’t remember much, but it was a lively atmosphere. They were always chatting while working. Even to this day, years after my mom quit, my mom’s friends would come up to ask me if I remembered them, explaining to me that they had taken care of me while my mom went to work in the factories.