When Tumi originally came to Boston on a vacation in May in the early 1990s, she was originally here on a tourist visa. Tourist visas are only short-term, and it is very difficult to change visas as well. In order to change her visa ,she would have to go back to Thailand to renew it or get a different type of visa. Tumi decided to stay in Boston longer because she found many opportunities for herself.

After returning to Thailand to extend her visa for a longer stay in Boston, Tumi moved to Bunker Hill. While living in Bunker Hill she took English Classes to improve her English. In school in Thailand, she learned some English, but the English that they learned in school was British English. Tumi found that Americans speak very fast and use a lot of slang when speaking so it is difficult to understand sometimes. In her English classes, she learned how to speak, listen and write in English, she even took extra classes to practice more. Tumi got an opportunity in the restaurant business which she began working for. Tumi enjoys the way that pay works in America compared to how it works in Thailand. In Thailand most jobs are paid on a monthly salary, Tumi likes how jobs in America can be paid on an hourly base. She finds it easier to make money in America even though to live in Thailand the lifestyle is cheaper. She makes more money in America than she would in Thailand. In her job, Tumi worked with someone from Singapore who she practiced her English with, but they spoke British English because that was the English that the had initially been taught.