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When Shu I began her new chapter in America, many of the customs that were commonplace in Taiwan persisted in her lifestyle in the US.
When Shu I began her new chapter in America, many of the customs that were commonplace in Taiwan persisted in her lifestyle in the US.
Shu I and her kids at the Boston Public Gardens.
Soon after moving to the US, Shu I got pregnant with her third child, Daniel Chou. She gave birth to Daniel Chou at Brigham Women's Hospital. The main focus of Shu I's life while living in America was centered around caring for her three children.
Shu I's husband often worked the late night shifts at a restaurant in Chinatown, so she was in charge of all of the housework. She would cook, drop her kids off at school, and constantly clean. She was content with this lifestyle because she was appriciative of her husband constantly working to support their family. During the late nights when she was home alone with the kids, Shu I was often scared and felt unsafe as the area they were staying in was not very safe.
Although, Shu I decided to start a new lifestyle for herself.
Although, Shu I decided to start a new lifestyle for herself.
When Shu I's three kids reached the age where they were fully enrolled in school, she decided to take her own English and skills development classes every week in Chinatown. After many incidents of being misunderstood, she decided that for her own sake she should learn English. It was not a very easy process for her, as she had spent the past 20 years speaking solely in dialects of Chinese. Eventually after a lot of practice, she was able to use basic English to hold conversations with more people.
Shu I got her first job in the US at the Crimson Child Service located in Cambridge. This was a huge milestone for her as she got an actual, working job despite that fact that she never got an education beyond 7th grade. She worked for the Crimson Child Service for about 5 years, and this took a lot of the pressure off of her husband as he was initially the breadwinner of the family.
After she left her job, she began working for Blue Cross Blue Shield. She thoroughly enjoyed the connections that she was able to make at her job, and also the additional income led her and her husband to buying a house in Quincy. They were also able to afford to go on more vacations with the entire family. They took a bunch of roadtrips to other states in the US to explore the country that they had just moved to. She held onto her this job for a very long time, about 20 years, before she retired. She decided to retire when her first grandkids were born.
Shu I, her husband, and kids in their Quincy home.
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