THE Bing FAMILY
“I see my family struggle in China but I can barely make a living here in the US, not to mention fly out to see them, but it would mean a lot for my son to see the family. I sometimes worry that he will forget where we came from and his language.”
Bing Shu Zu and his wife, son, and his sister who worked hard to support the family - she passed away 2 years ago. Bing Shu Zu wants to visit China and honor her memory.
Nominating Organization: Chinese Progressive Association
My name is Bing Shu Zu - I am 48 years old and currently working two jobs at Fisherman’s wharf. I started off working 7 days and would work a day shift at one restaurant and night shift on the second restaurant. Then my back started hurting so I wanted to cut down on the hours. Even if I wanted to get a full time position at just one location I can’t - they don't give us as many hours now because they hire more students and they make us train students. The most I work is 6 hours a day. I'm currently looking for some other job.
At work, sometimes I have to help be a server too when there's not enough people. I also help out with cleaning the bathroom and do dishes when we are short-staffed. Theres a bunch of little things but when there's the guests who have to wait for us.
We are a family of three : my wife, 10 year old son and I. It's really helpful that we have access to healthcare through my work. I have affordable housing in downtown san francisco but it's still really hard to save money on my wage and tips, which aren't that reliable. It's hard to get places because we don't own a car and we rely a lot on public transportation. My wife just started working full-time as a seamstress in downtown san francisco. Prior to that, I was the single provider.
When I was 14, my father passed away. At the time, my older sister was working alone in Hong Kong financially supported my education. She worked really hard, never married, and later became a top teacher at a local middle school. Unfortunately, she grew sick not long after and waited futilely for a kidney transplant for more than 10 years. She never received a transplant and passed away 2 years ago. My sister was sincere, hard-working, and always willingly to go out of her way to help people. She was like a parent to me. I love my sister and want to honor her memory with my visit.
Things are pretty hard in China. It's hard to find jobs right now for my brother and cost of living is too high there. I see my family struggle in China but I can barely make a living here, not to mention fly out to see them, but it would mean a lot for my son to see the family. I sometimes worry that he will forget where we came from and his language.
I hope to travel to China during Qing Ming holiday since they are all in different cities now and barely get a chance to come out to the hometown if it's not a holiday. I would like to visit my family’s memorial and spend time with my loved ones for one month. I wish to visit my younger sister, brother and household members. I haven’t seen them in over 8 years.
I volunteer for the Chinese Progressive Association. Due to my financial circumstances, I would greatly appreciate Hello Vuelo’s support. If I receive this chance, I will work even harder to support my immigrant community.