With a Little Luck

Dear Dad and Mom, I received your letter dated April 16. I'm sorry to hear that Mom's trip to Chongming wasn't a pleasant one. When did Mom start having heart problems too? Please don't stress yourself out, and try not to let things upset you too much. You mentioned your concerns about the new immigration law¹ that took effect this month. Please don't worry about it—this law doesn't affect us. We're here legally on F-1 student visas. After graduation, with work authorization, we're allowed to stay and work in the United States for one year. If we change to H-1B status during that time, we can continue working legally for up to six more years. There is one catch, though. If we lose our job, we have to leave the country immediately. While we're on an H-1B visa, we can apply for a green card. If that's approved—it may take many years—we'll then be on the path to citizenship. So yes, it is a very long process, and there's no guarantee of success. I know this doesn't sound reassuring. But as long as graduate students like us follow the law, and with a little luck, America isn't going to kick us out. It just wouldn't be in the country's best interest. There is only one week of classes left. I have one exam remaining, which shouldn't be too difficult, and then I'll be done with everything. The semester officially ends in mid-May. Around that time, I plan to rent a large car with three or four classmates and go on a ten-day road trip. It should be a lot of fun! Before or after the trip, I'll be moving again. My new address will be: 307 East 31st Street #107 Austin, TX 78705 U.S.A. Phone: 512-476-6770 Two of my classmates already live there. I'll only be staying with them temporarily for a little over a month. Then, in early July, I will leave Austin for New Jersey. I'm planning to live in Edison, New Jersey, where Wei Jin lives. I also have an old college classmate from Shanghai who works in the city but lives there as well. A one-bedroom apartment rents for about $650 to $700 a month, which isn't too bad. Living in Manhattan would easily cost at least twice as much. Of course, living in Edison means I'll have to commute every day. The train ride takes about forty minutes each way, and a monthly train pass costs around $170. I'd also have to drive about ten minutes to the train station, where parking costs another $40 a month. Even so, Edison has a lot to offer. It's much more spacious, almost like living in the countryside. There are plenty of parking spaces, tennis courts, and swimming pools, the kinds of things you can only dream about if you live in the city. I've already been in touch with Wei Jin, and he's helping me look for an apartment. Since I don't really want to sell my car, I'm planning to drive it all the way out there, which means crossing half the country! I don't want to—and honestly don't dare to—make the drive by myself, so I'll persuade Xun to come with me. Xun has accepted a job in Washington, D.C., which isn't very far from New Jersey, only about half a day's drive. My own job has been pushed back by two weeks and won't start until August 4th, so I'm going to have far too much free time on my hands. I can already see myself being bored to death toward the end, after most of my friends have left Austin for their jobs. Luckily, I still have Sue here! Just two weeks ago, Sue, Sultan, and I went horseback riding at a ranch outside Austin. Sultan, whose name means "king" in Arabic, is from Qatar. It was my first time on a horse, and I found the whole experience very interesting. We spent about an hour walking and trotting along the trails. The horses were all well trained, so it felt very safe. Sue and Sultan are both experienced riders. Sultan even keeps some horses back in Qatar. Haiqing came to Austin a few days ago for an interview, hoping to find a summer job. He's completely determined to earn his Ph.D., and I don't think it'll take him much longer. The time required to finish a Ph.D. varies quite a bit depending on the university and the field of study. He's actually moving through his program pretty quickly. I really admire how focused he is. The only thing that's changed over the past few years is the size of his belly. It's almost as impressive as his father's. I’ll write again soon. Wishing you the best, Tong 04/28/97