Huang Migration Story

My paternal grandmother first emigrated from Tai Shan, China to American in November of 1985, with the help of her younger sister. Grandma Li stayed with her sister and her husband in Whitestone, where they still currently live. In the spring of 1987, my grandma’s request to bring my dad and my twin fraternal aunts to New York City was approved. Since my great aunt was unable to house so many people, my grandma’s younger brother generously offered them an apartment complex he owned in Downtown Flushing.

During this time, my parents were already together for a few years, but not yet married. My father went back to China and married my mother on January 31, 1988. However, their citizenship statuses kept them separated on opposite sides of the world. My mom explained that they did not have the money to visit each other (my dad’s aunts and uncles had to loan my parents the money for airfare). They also did not have the kind of technology we are lucky to have today, such as video chatting or texting. Long distance phone calls were expensive, so my newlywed parents kept in touch through good old-fashioned mail. It wasn’t until almost two year later on January 17, 1990 that my mom was able to join my father in the United States and finally start a family.

My family remained at the Downtown Flushing residence after the birth of my two brothers in 1991 and 1992. When my parents found out they were pregnant with me, they decided to invest in a larger and more private residence. My aunts and grandma followed and in early 1993, my parents were able to afford a two-bedroom apartment on Kissena Boulevard and 45th Avenue.

My aunts eventually got married and moved out; the younger one to Bayside and the older one stayed on the same block as where my parents lived. My grandma remained with my parents so that she would be able to continue to raise us while my parents worked full-time. Eventually, my grandma moved in with my aunt who lived nearby when she had children. My grandma would continue to raise five grandchildren, all born within seven years of each other, until each of us graduated elementary school. I’ve always admired my grandma and viewed her as a superhero for being able to do that and we thank her by perpetually giving her reasons to be proud.

In 2005, when I just started junior high school, my parents started to search for a house. They finally settled on one in Whitestone and we moved in right before Christmas time. We now live within five blocks from my great aunt who initiated my family’s migration to the United States. My aunts and their respective families also moved into houses, though in Oakland Gardens. My grandma now lives in Bayside, in between Whitestone and Oakland Gardens and within close proximity to all of her children and grandchildren.

Since we are unable to spend as much time together as we used to, my whole family makes it a point to see each other at least once a week. Being raised in a tight knit family and being surrounded by so much support and love provided me with an enormous sense of identity and appreciation.