From Beijing Professor to American nanny

This is a short summary of a news story that has become fodder for the blogs. The names were changed in the original article.

Fifty-something university physics professor Li Hua left her life in Beijing, immigrating to the US in the early 90s. At her age and with low English skills, Ms. Li was unemployed until she got a job offer to cook and clean for an elderly Chinese couple. Putting aside her pride, she takes the job and grits her teeth as the matron of the house complains about Li's attempts to prepare a very specialized menu.

In order to improve her English, Li leaves her Chinese employer and moves into the home of a white family and looks after the grandmother. Because the grandmother always says, "thank you," Li mistakes the politeness for friendship and sits down next to the old woman for a chat after bringing her coffee. Li is hurt when the woman tells her she wants to be alone. Eventually, Li moves on to a third family and works her tail off doing all kinds of housework. Li's hard work and perseverence is rewarded. She is now retired and living on a pension, financially supporting her daugher's small shop and assisting new Chinese immigrants to America.

Yu Jun is another middle-aged academic who left a position at a research institute in Beijing and is now a live-in nanny with a wealthy Long Island family. Anna Chen Wei came to the US as a visiting scholar and overstayed her visa, working under the table as nanny for an elderly couple, who provide her with health insurance. She is the biggest wage-earner for her family back in China, paying tuition for younger relatives.

The story concludes by saying that there are many others who, like these three women, have given up prestigious white collar jobs in academia and medicine to become household help for wealthy American families.