“I’m an American.” 10 shades of 10 Korean-Americans. A new series tracing the journeys of the people how they struggled, settled, and then succeeded in the US. The first story, the journey of car repair shop-owner Lee Eung-chun.
America, known as the land of opportunity, yet an unfamiliar territory to most immigrants like Lee Eung-chun. Lee is now settled down in America (,running a successful auto repair shop in Virginia), but his beginning was not so easy.
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“I wanted to study and work in a bigger world. I began studying auto mechanics in the U.S. It wasn’t going too well (in the beginning), but I continued studying and that got me in the field that I’m still in today.”
After finishing his study, Lee began working as a mechanic and eventually set up his own automobile repair shop. It wasn’t easy to get his business going at first. But he didn’t give up.
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“I thought I had to continue on the path. I began studying for a state vehicle inspection exam in 1986, and luckily, I passed and became a Virginia state certified vehicle inspector. At the time, there were only two or three Asian Americans who had the inspection license (in the region).”
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“It was really difficult back then. There was no work, and days passed without any work. So when someone came asking for an oil change, I gave a car wash as an additional service. I spent more money on water than what I got paid for fixing cars, because I was paying commercial water bills. Then through the word of mouth, people heard about my shop, and they began to come.”
But still, his business did not pick up so quickly, and Lee remembered the time when he faced financial difficulties with no one to help and nowhere to turn.
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“I thought about going back to Korea, but I didn’t have money to pay for the airfare. I came to the U.S. on a one-way ticket and didn’t have the money to buy a ticket to go back. I thought, ‘I have to make it or die.’ From then on, I fixed cars during the day and worked as a cleaner at night.”
“I’m not in the picture because I took it.”
Two hundred fifty-eight dollars. That’s all the money Lee had when he first set his foot in the United States. It was way too little money, but Lee worked hard and his sweat paid off in the land of opportunity that did not let him down.
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“People don’t believe when I tell them I had only $258 when I first came to the United States. They say, ‘Oh, come on!’ and don’t believe me. But that’s true. ...When I think about it, I say to myself, ‘Wow, how did I do it?’”
The fruit of his persistent labor and pushing himself even in strenuous situations that most immigrants go through, finally paid off.
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“There isn’t a single day that I haven’t pushed myself to work hard. Every day, I get here at 7:30 in the morning and leave at 7 in the evening.”
“Put it diagonally, diagonally.”
Lee kept promises to himself by seizing opportunities and working hard to become an owner of a successful mechanic shop. Lee has this to say about America.
Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
“The United States is a country that provides opportunities to anyone if they work hard for their future. It is a country that provides opportunities for you to succeed.”
Негізгі бет [I’m an American] Lee Eung-chun (Auto Repair Shop Owner)
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