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Vera
Li
I was
born and educated in Hong Kong. I came to London in 1981 as a student.
After I had finished my study, I went back to work in Hong Kong
in 1984.
My
friend John whom I had met in England also went back to Hong Kong
a few months after me. A year later we got married and decided to
accept a research studentship offered by Leicester Polytechnic.
Researching the Chinese community for this project has been
an enriching and rewarding experience.  |
| Vera
Li |
We
stayed in Leicester for three years and then we moved to Gloucester
in 1989 when John got a job here.
I worked
as a finance officer in the education department until two years
ago when I joined Social Services as a Chinese Community Link/Support
Worker in mental health.
Researching
the Chinese community for this project has been an enriching and
rewarding experience. Despite the difficulties associated with accessing
members of the community, the people I met were prepared to engage
and talk to me about their experiences in an open and genuine manner.
I am
very pleased to be involved in this project and I hope that its
publication will allow more people to have a better understanding
of various groups within our communities.
Yee
Lin Weller
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| Co-author
of Our Untold Stories Yee Lin Weller |
I first
arrived in UK in 1973 as a disorientated student, not knowing exactly
what I really wanted to do in my life, except that I wanted more
in my life than Hong Kong could offer me at the time.
I
spent two years studying a secretarial course; ran out of money
and decided to go back to Hong Kong to try my luck and perhaps work
for a couple of years and travel again. The reality was I had no
choice but to face the music.
I worked
as a secretary in an English newspaper in Hong Kong and met my husband,
fell in love with him, packed up my job and came back to UK with
him.
Initially
I did temping work, and did some travelling with my husband. A few
years later we started our family. I spent the first few years of
my children's life looking after them and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In
many ways I wished they never grew up so that I could look after
them all mine and their life. I remembered my late father once said
to me: "Children growing are like birds, when their wings are fully
grown, you have to let them go".
I followed
his advice; and when I felt I had led them to the right path to
follow, I began another chapter of my life.
Children's growing are like birds, when their wings are fully
grown, you have to let them go. |
| Yee
Lin Weller's father |
For
me to find a job and be available to my children when they needed
me, I had to find either a sympathetic boss or to work from home.
I did
find an understanding boss. The job was to make high quality curtains.
I worked for her for few years.
Because
of my husband's job, we had to move from Surrey to Gloucestershire.
After we moved here, I decided to work for myself.
I met
some Chinese, I started to attend some of their meetings and learned
Mandarin every Tuesday.
Then
one day Betty Fung phoned me. She asked me if I was interested in
meeting Nasreen Akhtar and doing a research project for the Millennium.
It was about how Chinese came to be in to Gloucestershire.
The
idea excited me. After that I met Nasreen, and this was followed
by some training. My heart began to sink because by then I realise
what I got myself in to. As Chinese idiom would say "if you wet
your hair, you might as well wash it".
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