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Chinese PhiladelphianMay, 2013

Weaving a Childhood Dream in South Philly

Experiencing a cross-cultural Adventure in Philadelphia

Being American Taiwanese: What has Chiaoning Su gained from studying Abroad in U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Feature Story From Taiwan to Michigan, and from Michigan to Philadelphia, Kylie Tsai finally witnesses the blossoming of her childhood dream.

By William Hao-Wei Yang

11 Weaving a Childhood Dream in South Philly: Cups and Chairs Tea Cafe

Profile Story

By William Hao-Wei Yang

According to Florence Hsu and Peter Iezzi, the term “interracial couple” perhaps never exists in society.

05 Experiencing a cross-cultural Adventure in Philadelphia

SpotlightBy William Hao-Wei Yang

Read what Chiaoning Su has to say about their study abroad experience and why Taiwanese government should reignite younger generation’s desire to study abroad.

17 Being American Taiwanese: What has shd gained from studying Abroad in U.S.A.?

Experiencing a cross-cultural Adventure in Philadelphia By William Hao-Wei Yang

Florence Hsu and Peter Iezzi share their experience as an “intercultural” couple and how they balance their two ways of life in Philadelphia

Q: Can you guys start by introducing yourself briefly? F: I’m Florence, and I go to Temple University for Ph.D. in Art History. I moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2009. It is my fourth year in Philadelphia and before coming here, I was working in Taipei as a journalist. Before that, I got my M.A. Degree in Buffalo, New York. P: My name is Peter Iezzi. I moved to Philadelphia in 2006 after finishing graduate school. I’m an architect and I’ve been living and working in Philadelphia for six years. I’m originally from Reading, Pa., which is an hour and a half west of Philadelphia.

Q: Where did you guys meet? P: We met at a church. F: So what happened was that,

I used to go to a Chinese church around Chinatown but there were a few reasons that I decided to change a church. I changed to my current church this past August. After I change the church, I only went to the sunday service at first and didn’t meet anyone. So, I thought I should join a small group to meet more people. Otherwise, I would just show up at church and go home. In the first sunday of September, they announced during the service that there would be lunch for small groups in the city. I thought” well, it’s a good chance to meet people and go to lunch.” So, I picked a small group that’s two blocks away from my apartment which happened to be the same people Peter knew from a few years. Them and Peter used to go to bible

study close to where he lives. So we met in that small group. Q: Before you guys start dating, have you thought of what might an interracial relationship be? P: There’s definitely difference. I’m an Italian American and my family lean heavily on the Italian culture. But as far as interracial relationship for me personally, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. It was kind of ironic that I was always hesitant looking to date someone from Asia, because

it is a culture that’s very foreign to westerners. That was where I came into this relationship. I did go out on a couple of dates with Asian women but even that was kind of weird. The idea was still new to me, and they were all Americanized than her. F: If you ask me ten years ago, I would say that I wouldn’t date someone that’s not Taiwanese. But I guess my thoughts changed overtime. I don’t know how it actually changed but I guess I’m just more open to many things.

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Also, I think when I was studying in Buffalo, that was about seven or eight years ago. At the time, I was more Taiwanese than I am right now. My friends are basically all Taiwanese and I went to a Chinese church. It was in the U.S.A., but the people that I’m most close with still speak the same language as me. Now, it’s so much different. I think I deliberately changed my lifestyle when I moved to Philadelphia. When I did this, I wasn’t thinking about dating someone that’s not Taiwanese or Chinese. It just happened that when I changed my lifestyle and I started to meet more different people.

Q: Because of your different cultural backgrounds, what has been the most difficult part since you guys were together? P: I guess the only difficult thing for me was when her mom was here, I wasn’t really able to talk to her. That was difficult for that reason. Nothing directly relates to her, but it doesn’t affect our day to day lives. The thing that makes us work is that we speak the same language. If that wasn’t there, this wouldn’t work. F: I think because our religious background is similar, so that gets rid of a lot of troubles. P: I think as different as our lives are, we have this

commonality of religion which bridges this cultural divide. It’s almost as if that religion is the only thing about our relationship that’s without a cultural anchor. I don’t think religion helps us overcome any cultural differences and it’s an aspect in our lives that doesn’t have a cultural affiliation. It’s like a neutral thing. F: Sometimes, he would say something that I might not understand. It could be a story or a movie that most people know as a kid but I don’t. That’s not the problem and it’s just that he needs to explain.

Q: Are there any aspect of your life that you need to consciously maintain in your native cultural way? F: I still have a lot of Taiwanese friends here. When I first came to Philadelphia, I tried hard to get in the American culture. I noticed that immigrants coming from other countries still stay in their own communities most of the time. People go to school or work here, but in their private lives, their friends are still the same people with the same background. I tried very hard to break that during the first couple of years. I think that took a lot

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of effort because that’s getting out of your comfort zone. Now, I don’t feel like I have to try hard to maintain the balance. I feel like I don’t try hard to be either American or Taiwanese. I just do whatever that makes sense. It becomes my lifestyle and it’s not necessarily American or Taiwanese. There are so many good things in either culture. I don’t try hard to maintain something. I still don’t want to lose my Taiwanese friends. I try to find a way to balance. It’s not that difficult.

Q: Which aspect of Chinese culture fascinates you the most? P: I think the easiest thing that I can relate to is food. I love food and I love to cook. The idea that I can have new food I’ve never had before is good. I think food defies communication barriers. It’s easy in that regard. Language also fascinates me but I don’t speak Mandarine yet, I can’t enjoy that as much as I can with other things. F: I think food is such a huge part of culture. If you like the food of a certain culture, it’s a big part.

Q: Has interracial relationship turned out to be what you have imagined? F: I didn’t think too much about interracial relationship before we were together. It’s just the same as I deal with everything else. Whatever comes, I just face it. I think it’s more interesting if I ever thought of it. It’s fun. I have learned a lot from him. There are a lot of surprises and I like it. P: I don’t think we are interracial couple. Hearing that word is kind of weird. It started from an idea that a number years ago, I didn’t want to date someone who’s Asian. Then I started going out with people who are Asian in a spam of a year, it’s kind of odd. Meeting her, I guess I never had this category that she’s an Asian person so much as it’s just a different person. I mean everyone’s different. I don’t think we are an interracial couple and that thought has never entered my mind. I just think of it as there’s a lot to learn everyday that’s more fun than frustrating. I rather have the options of eating pig’s ear than the option of having a hot pocket.

Q: Have you guys talked about the possibility of visiting Taiwan together? P: It came up in the discussion last night. F: I was thinking about whether I should go back to Taiwan or not. I asked him jokingly “Will you come back with me?” We haven’t really talked about it. P: The idea of going to a new place is exciting. The idea of going to that new place with somebody from the country it’s even better for me. I don’t like to

travel to a country like a tourist. I like to find out what that country is about and do things that most people from that country do. When or how that happens is yet to be determined.B

Florence currently resides in Chinatown while Peter lives in Italian Market.

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Weaving a Chilhood Dream in South Philly: Cups and Chairs Tea Cafe

By William Hao-Wei Yang See how Kylie Tsai brings her childhood dream to life with Persistence, Passion and Belief

Sometimes life can turn a totally different direction in a blink of an eye, and that’s exactly what happened to Kylie Tsai when she found herself gradually fulfilling her childhood dream-opening a cafe. It all started with an expresso machine that she bough-it makes not only coffee but also tea. She bought the machine out of her long time interest in making and drinking coffee. At that point, the idea of opening a tea cafe wasn’t even in her head yet.

“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to open a coffee shop,” said Tsai laughingly. “When I did more research about coffee, I found that I was struggling. I didn’t know much about coffee.”

This obstacle almost prevented her from fulfilling her dream of owning a cafe, but then opportunity came when she was about to give up. She met a friend who owns a coffee shop and that conversation reignited her hope of opening her own cafe, except her main focus was not coffee anymore.

“My friend told me that she opened the coffee shop because her family is in the coffee business,” said Tsai. “At that moment, I suddenly realized that I should do something that I’m familiar with.”

That’s when she realized that tea is something that has always been part of her life growing up. She made up her mind and started looking for locations to open her tea cafe.

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First, she looked into Old City and Rittenhouse Square, where she thought the population for a cafe would be. However, the results turned out disappointing.

“I almost opened a shop in Old City, but luckily I didn’t,” said Tsai. “They didn’t have enough population to support a tea shop. I also tried to contact realtors in Rittenhouse Square, but they never called me back.”

She didn’t let these setbacks stop her from fulfilling her dream. She stopped by in Queen Village one day, and was immediately amazed by the family oriented atmosphere of the neighborhood. Surrounded by parents pushing strollers and kids getting off from school, she immediately knew that this was the place to nurture her dream.

“I found the atmosphere very comforting in Queen Village,” said Tsai. “So, I decided to focus on this area.”

When she thought that things were going to turn positive, more obstacles blocked her way. From government agencies to employees, she had been given different kinds of tests to challenge her plan.

While she was trying hard to conform to government regulations, she never received any positive feedback from them.

“When they were supposed to come and inspect my location, they never showed up,” said Tsai. “They didn’t know that they are wasting people’s money and they didn’t know how hard it is to open a small business in Philadelphia. As a result of their inefficiency, I wasted two months of rent without opening the business.”

Although she felt frustrated while dealing with government agencies and other obstacles, she never stopped trying to solve problems. As an immigrant, she understood the difficulties that she would encounter. She remained persistent even when employees or customers tried to take advantage of her.

“When I know what I want, nobody can stop me,” said Tsai. “I have already had this business for two years and four months, and a lot of people told me that it’s not easy. “

While she tasted the disadvantages to open a business as a foreigner, her immigrant background still offers her some

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advantages that help her to open her business.

“When I borrowed money from the banks, they kept telling me that they could sense that I’m very hardworking and I have a goal,” said Tsai. “I put all my savings into this business and they knew that I’m not just joking or playing around.”

After two years and four months, her business is gradually growing into what she has planned. However, there’s still one thing that she hasn’t been able to incorporate into her business-a tea class.

“I haven’t fulfilled ‘Tea 101’, which is a tea class that I want to teach customers about tea culture,” said Tsai. “What’s stopping me from teaching the class is because I can’t find reliable employees.”

Apart from these difficulties, Tsai still tries her best to fulfill what she has laid out in her initial business plan. She works extensively with local artists to provide them a space to display their art. In addition, she has been constantly given back to Queen Village through donation and sponsoring events. To her,

owning a business is not about making money, but providing customers the best service.

“ Even until now, I still have a lot of new customers that are excited to see this new place,” said Tsai. “It really makes me happy to also have a lot of regular supporters and customers. I do agree that I make a change in this community.” a

Cups and Chairs is on Passyunk and Monroe Street. It opens seven days a week.

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Being American Taiwanese: What has Chiaoning Su gained from studying Abroad in U.S.A.

Learning is a life-long task and nobody understands this better than Chiaoning Su. Even when she has spent more than six years in Philadelphia, everyday is still a learning process for her. Since starting her Ph.D. studies at Temple University in 2007, the cultural adjustment is still a daily task for her. “I think it’s never going to be over,” said Su smilingly. “To me, this is a different cul-ture and it will always be.” Su arrived in Philadelphia with more than three years’ experience working at the largest public relations agency in Taiwan. Getting used to life as a student and American culture have been a huge part

of her life in the past six years. The two dimensional learning curve has proven to be harder than she’s imagined even when she had the experience living in the U.S.A before. “I got my M.A. degree in one and a half years so it was a really brief experience,” said Su. “I guess I pretty much forgot about the U.S. in a way. So coming back here in 2007 is like a brand new start.” While trying hard to adjust to her new life in Philadelphia, she found it easy to fit into the diverse life in Philadelphia. The real challenge was mostly in her academic life. Not knowing whether was a cultural or academic gap, she struggled to find a balance in her life as a student. The unfamiliarity toward both language and popular culture creates a barrier between her and her study in and outside of classroom. “Being a communications major, it means you have to be able to speak English fluently,” said Su. “You also have to understand their culture to a certain level, and I found both difficult in the beginning.” After six years immersing in the American culture, she finally starts to feel her life become much easier. She also begins to appreciate her own cultural background as an advantage for her Ph.D. studies. “Being a scholar from Asia, my cultural background certainly gives me credibility when I’m talking about Asian popular culture and cultural

imperialism,” said Su. “People do pay attention to me when I’m talking and they often think my perspective is fresh and unique.” She also feels a big change in herself when she goes back to Taiwan. She admits that she probably could never speak with confidence in public if she hasn’t come to Philadelphia. “I do see myself become more independent, critical and more comfortable of speaking out my thoughts in a very understandable and intelligent way,” said Su. “This process has enabled me to be more confident.” Su has successfully combined her Taiwanese identity into her Ph.D. research on the relationship between natural disaster and journalism. She used two of the biggest natural disasters in Taiwanese history as her context to examine the reaction of journalists and the media’s influence on people’s memory about these two specific disasters. “The reason why i decide to shift my attention from popular culture to natural disaster is because I want to do something that’s unique but, at the same time, universal,” said Su. “I’m going to examine how natural disaster provides an opportunity to challenge the conventional journalistic operation.” Su also shares her personal

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reflection on the gradually dwindling number of Taiwanese students that choose to study abroad. To her, it is crucial for Taiwan to align itself with the international society in the age of globalization. While the younger generation becomes more reluctant to study abroad, she thinks her personal experience has proven to be worthwhile. “I learned a lot from my own experience and I encourage others to do so,” said Su. “It makes you think more and do some self-reflection. I saw a completely different world after coming to Philadelphia.” Growing up dreaming of

becoming a journalist, the poor media environment in Taiwan forces her to give up that thought. After leaving her job as a public relations specialist, she finally finds her passion again in being a scholar. “I give up my dream of being a journalist after realizing I won’t be able to do anything i want in Taiwan’s unhealthy media environment,” said Su. “Being a scholar still combines two of my favorite things: people and writing.” Even while she’s been spending the past six years in a foreign country, Su always makes contribute to Taiwan as her

ultimate goal. “Hopefully I will get my degree when I’m 35,” said Su. “I will definitely try to find a teaching position and do some research. However, I wish I can do something to pay back to my country ultimately. I love it so much and i do want it to become a better place.” Su makes a personal breakthrough in her still young academic career by publishing her second article Media Culture & Society, a premium academic journal. While she’s pleased by this achievement, it certainly isn’t going to be the last achievement of any kind.

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ONE CITY TWO WAYS OF LIFE

CHINESE PHILADELPHIAN

May, 2013