Destination: New Jersey

Dear Dad and Mom, I'm sure you've received my last letter by now. I'm writing again to share some big news—I managed to land a summer job! It starts around mid-May, so by the time you read this, I’ll probably either be packing up to leave or already over in New Jersey. I haven't received the official paperwork just yet, but it's basically a done deal. I'm 99.9% sure of it, and they said they'd be mailing the formal offer letter this coming Monday. Honestly, I got incredibly lucky this time. Coincidentally, one of my old high school and college classmates graduated with his Master's last year and went to work at AT&T Bell Labs. Two weeks ago, he sent out an email to everyone saying there was an opening for a permanent position and asking if anyone was interested. I replied and told him I was actually looking for a summer internship. He said a summer position might be possible and told me to send over my resume. I never expected it to actually pan out, but yesterday someone from Bell Labs called me for an interview and asked a few questions. Today, my classmate told me everything is set. Because he recommended me, the whole process went much smoother. The company is AT&T Bell Labs, though they’re currently spinning off from AT&T and changing their name to Lucent. It's located in New Jersey, about 40 miles from Newark and very close to New York City. The job runs from May 15th until the start of the next semester—about three months total. The pay is over $700 a week, which comes out to around $3,000 a month. The salary is excellent, and the company is famous here. This is such a fantastic opportunity for me. Work experience is highly valued in America, and having this on my resume will make finding a job down the road a lot easier. Plus, while I'm in New Jersey, I’ll be staying with my classmate, which will save me a ton on rent. Right now, I need to find someone to sublease my apartment here in Austin, and I won't be taking any summer classes. I feel incredibly fortunate—it's a great job, and I’ll have a friend there to look out for me. There are also a lot of our old college classmates in New Jersey, so it’ll be great to meet up and hang out. I feel terrible that I haven't been able to save much money. I've been in the US for over half a year now, and my bank account is only sitting at a little over a thousand dollars. That $465 you gave me is still untouched in a separate bank account; it matures on July 29th after a 10-month term at a 5.35% interest rate. Being short on cash was a huge reason why I wanted to find a job. My goals right now aren't overly ambitious—I just want to buy a car and build up a decent cushion in the bank. Once I have enough saved up, you can apply for visas to come visit me in America whenever you like. Regarding what we discussed in my last letter about pursuing a Ph.D., that will likely settle itself in a few months. I can talk things through with my classmates up there. If I get a taste of industry work and realize it's nothing special, I might decide I want to pursue a Ph.D. and focus on research. On the other hand, if I really enjoy working, I'll just finish my Master's and head straight into the workforce. As for asking Uncle Wei to bring me a watch from China, that would be fine, but the issue is that I have to buy a watch before I head to New Jersey because I can't start working without one. If you do end up sending a watch with him later, it would be best to get one with both the day and date display, and it doesn't need to be expensive. I can just buy a cheap temporary one for now. As for anything else I might need, let me think about it, but it doesn't seem like I'm lacking much. If there's anything you want from the States, let me know and I can ask Uncle Wei and his family to bring it back to you. Finals are coming up fast, but things aren't too chaotic right now. I only have just one take-home test. I'll catch up with you guys later and will send over my new address and phone number once I have them. All the best! Tong 04/19/96 P.S. Is Mom's wrist completely healed up now? And is Dad still busy crunching numbers on his computer?