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Community Corner

Who's Who in Albany: Amy Zhang

Every weekday we'll feature a brief chat with someone who lives or works in Albany.

Name: Amy Zhang

Age: 35

Occupation: Housewife

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How long have you been in Albany? My husband works at U.C.-Berkeley, in the School of Public Health. We've been here 3 1/2 years.

What did you do in China? I worked in management for the Ministry of Health in China; I have a background in public health.

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What do you think of Albany? I like Albany; the weather and the people are very nice. It's a small city, but it seems well-organized.

Have you traveled back to China at all? We went back two years ago. We miss the food; I miss my friends, my family, my parents – they're almost 80. I also have a grandma who is almost 100.

Do you have brothers and sisters? Yes, I have two brothers and one sister. I grew up in Hebei Province, near Beijing.

What do you do in your free time? I would like to go to a movie. I was planning a trip to China, but it seemed too much for us. He [my son] starts preschool next week. Traveling with him is too much work, and I'd have to get a new visa to return here.

Are there any Chinese restaurants in town that you like? Well, we like China Village; it's okay, but it's not very Chinese. There are also some Chinese restaurants in Ranch 99, but they're just okay.

How easy is it to make friends here? There's a playground; there are all kinds of groups – new moms, study groups, "Tea N' Talk." Also, through work, I've met my husband's co-workers.

It's very easy to make friends at UC Village because people have very similar backgrounds from all over the world. It's easy among mothers on the playground; there are similar topics of interest. It's harder to make friends outside of University Village, because of language. It would probably be easier if I met a Chinese woman; there would be no language barrier – we could talk about anything I wanted. For instance, it would be helpful if the preschool teacher spoke Chinese. Other things, besides my son's routine, we cannot talk about. Honestly, I don't know how to pick a topic to keep talking about.

What are your plans? We'll probably leave here very soon; we're looking for jobs in China. I can go back to my job; I just talked with my boss, and he said he'd take me back whenever I'm ready. It's so hard to find a job in China – there are so many people.

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