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Success paths of young immigrants in higher
education and the professional world.
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Yuan.
Was born in China and is 24 years old.
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He is studying Industrial
Engineering, currently at 4th year.
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My name is Yuan Hao.
I come from China.
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East China. The southern part.
Next to Shanghai.
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And I've been here since 97.
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I came here when I was 11
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and since then I have lived here,
in Prat de Llobregat.
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When I got here my mother
was working for my aunt
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and my brother and I arrived
the same time.
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We did not have enough
to rent a separate house
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so I lived at my aunt's
home for several years
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until the end of the ESO
[secondary education].
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Schooling
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When I was 11 I entered
at sixth grade [primary].
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Sure, I found many difficulties
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when interacting with others,
I did not know any Spanish.
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And then sometimes I got
angry with my schoolmates
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because I did not understand
what they were saying to me.
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Well, and angry at myself, of course.
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I did not have a hard time, but neither
did I have a good time, let's say.
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There were many things I
was learning in China
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and I had to leave when I came here
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for instance, [?], I was learning In
China when I was in elementary school.
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And when I came I could not... The economic
situation was more difficult here.
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Because life here is more expensive
and so I did not continue learning.
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How did you went through high school?
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I found considerable difficulty
when interacting
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because the guys there had already formed
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friends and small groups of
friends from elementary.
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I feel very intrusive and then
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there are times... people, if
they hang out with a small group
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it is not difficult... is not easy to
establish a relationship with them.
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In first and second of ESO
I did not study.
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When I went to class it was to take a nap,
because I was bored and did not understand much.
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Except math, where you don't need
to understand the language as much.
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And then, so I spent three...
Two years...
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The first two years in high school.
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The experience of working.
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Because usually when you start working
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you mean you do
not want to study anymore.
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Well, I worked for half a year
as a waiter in Girona.
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In a friend of my aunt's restaurant.
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And there I learned say... or...
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I saw how I wanted my life to be.
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I did not want to spend my
whole life working as a waiter
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or working as a Chinese
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that is, to open a "dollar store"
or a grocery store.
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I did not want that.
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And then I thought... at the
end of the summer season
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I asked my mother that I
wanted to go back to school
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and she said yes, to go back
to the same high school
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and to continue studying.
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The first thing was the teacher's surprise
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she was a tutor...
psychologist at the school.
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She taught separate classes to newcomers...
Say, immigrants.
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For the Moroccans, the
Chinese and some others.
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So, she was the
one who helped me
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when she saw me at the school's door
and said "ah, back to school!"
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And I said yes and she
helped me enroll again,
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to pick a place and
when I showed up the first day
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it was a surprise for my schoolmates.
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Why Industrial Engineering?
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I didn't have much of an idea, because
I do not know anyone that...
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in my family, my family environment
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who could advise me what career to take.
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So it was... I asked some teachers
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from my high school. And in the end I decided
on this industrial engineering career
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Because a friend of mine, a friend of...
high school.
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The brightest was exposed to
everyone else learning from him
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he was the best of the class.
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And I asked "what will you do?"
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And he said "Industrial engineering"
and I say "why?"
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And he said that this degree because it
had a lot career work possibilities
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and he could earn a good salary.
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And then I just chose the same as him.
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Well now I've met many people and well...
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Through the years, I have met
many people at the uni
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And... Now I have many...
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Most friends are Spanish.
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I have only one Chinese friend,
who is a childhood friend.
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He has also come to Spain and...
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And I have no other Chinese friends.
All are Spanish, eh?
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Well, I go out with them
on weekends also.
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Study with them. Well,
the usual student life.
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Catalan... the truth is
that when I came here
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I was taught Spanish for the first year
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in primary school.
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And when I got to high school
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it was where I had
more difficulties.
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But in my high school, at the time,
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I was doing some intensive
Catalan classes for newcomers.
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In other words, immigrants.
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So I think I...
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In a... quotes, they forced me
to leave all afternoon classes.
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They took me out of all afternoon classes.
Any subject.
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And for a whole school year I
learned Catalan every afternoon.
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And from there I
learned Catalan.
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Well, I understand, write and...
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Do not talk much but also
speak Catalan.
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I think it is a cultural
identity for Catalonia.
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I identify myself as a Catalan
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and Chinese at the same time,
and Spanish at the same time.
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There is no conflict for
me to be all three at once.
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Would you give any advice?
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Depending on the capacity
and economic situation
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I advise, if you have
sufficient capacity and can
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afford to study, to keep studying
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getting a degree.
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And I think is the best you can do.
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And if not, do not like
or do not have enough...
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Not enough time to study four years
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and... of uni, then I advise...
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I advise you to at least enroll
in vocational training.
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So with that, according to friends who...
Friends and schoolmates
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who didn't go to college...
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Who went directly to vocational training
after the ESO [high school].
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And they have found jobs and
are living a normal life.
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A path of change.