My family immigrated to the United States in 1981.  We came over with very little.  One thing that my family shared together was music.  When we first arrived, we were not able to afford a record player.  In the early 1980s, when the minimum wage was $3.35 an hour, my family and I worked and saved for a year in order to buy a HiFi system so we can listen to black vinyl records (黑色唱片).  At the time, the system was over $800.  The first English language record we bought was Olivia Newton John’s Physical.  We practiced our English with the lyrics that were included with the record.  Prior to this record, we only listened to Chinese music because it was the music we listened to before immigrating to America.  Sam Hui was one of my favorite singers.

– V.W.

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant