Interview with Linda Rossetti

Interview with Linda Rossetti

Linda Rossetti

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Interviewers

Kaitlyn Konyndyk, Jacob Zhang, Harriet Ogilvie

Description

This oral history interview with Linda Rossetti was conducted on March 31, 2025, by Kaitlyn Konyndyk, Harriet Ogilvie, and Jacob Zhang. The interview was written by Kaitlyn, Hattiet, and Jacob. Linda Rossetti was born in Lansing, Michigan and is the oldest of three. Her parents immigrated to America from China in the 1990s, shortly before she was born. Both her parents lived in Beijing before immigrating. At that time, her mother had just finished getting her MD PHD and her father was having difficulties finding work. In hopes of more opportunities for themselves and their children, Linda’s parents immigrated to America. Her mother was highly educated, but was stuck working odd jobs like washing dishes. Her parents had no other family here in America. It was difficult for them to get adjusted with finding a community, making friends, etc. Her parents didn’t know much English prior to immigrating, and her father’s English speaking abilities were better than her mother's. While Linda was growing up, her parents spoke Chinese to her and her siblings. She has a younger sister and a younger brother, who is biologically her cousin. Her aunt and uncle came to the US, and her brother was raised here. They couldn’t stay in the US but didn’t want to uproot him, so he grew up as her brother. While Linda was growing up, she struggled with her identity as a Chinese Immigrant. An especially difficult part was bringing snacks to school that were different from the other kids. Other kids were unfamiliar with the chinese food and snacks she’d bring, so she wanted to distance herself from her chinese culture, and blend in with the other kids. Her parents wanted their home life to be full of Chinese culture, believing that she’d get all the American culture she needed while at school. As an adult now, much of those chinese foods and snacks have become very mainstream. It wasn’t the food becoming popular that connected her back to her culture, but how when she moved out, she realized how comforting home was and how food was such a big part of that. As an adult she realized that her culture had “been cool all along.” Another challenge she faced was in the English language proficiency exams she was forced to take because English wasn't the primary language spoken in her home. She had to leave her AP English class to take a test she didn’t need to be taking. After the outrage she felt at this, her parents stopped saying that English wasn’t the primary language spoken at home for her younger siblings. In Chinese culture, family is very important. The rest of Linda’s family lived in China, so she spent many summers in China, becoming very close with her mom’s mom, who would come to live with them for part of the year. She could only talk to her Grandmother in Chinese, which is why she attributes her language skills to her. Being Chinese American has given her a broader perspective, allowing her to see both sides, Western vs Eastern. It helped her to see the importance of community and embracing your culture, embracing multiculturalism. Now, Linda lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband and children. It’s been hard for her to integrate her Chinese culture into her children's lives. She had hoped to speak Mandarin at home with them, but hasn’t yet. Her kids will be in Chinese immersion, which will help them to learn more. She elaborates on the struggles of incorporating Chinese culture and then more on her upbringing.

Date of Interview

3-31-2025

Location of Interview

Grand Rapids, MI

Series

Telling Our Stories

Keywords

Oral History, AAPI, Michigan, Asian American, Chinese, Immigrant

Disciplines

Asian American Studies | Oral History

Language

ENG

Document Type

Interview

Length of video

32:34

Length of video log

18 pages

Interview with Linda Rossetti

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.