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  =Impacts on Astronaut Families =        With the politic uncertainties as Hong Kong headed towards 1997, many residents of Hong Kong chose to immigrate to Canada. The great majority of the immigrants mostly settled in Toronto or Vancouver since there are well-established Chinese communities in the two cities.   The number of immigrants from Hong Kong kept increasing since 1990 with 30,000 people annually to the peak 44,000 people annually in 1994. “Economic-class immigrants from Hong Kong declined in proportion in the early 1990s, but increased again to over 80 per cent in1996 and 1997 before falling to under 60 per cent in 2000.” (Li, 6) From the statistics, we can see that many families feared the economic and political changes that were to come in the year 1997. As a result, they immigrated to other countries to prevent this big change that can affect their lives greatly. Many families with children made their decisions based on the future of their children. From a majority of focused groups interviewed, “A strong majority emphasized that they had migrated to Canada to enhance their children’s educational opportunities. Even those for whom the migration experience was not positive suggested that they were willing to make sacrifices because of the children’s education.” (Kobayashi,8) Obviously, the future of their children is very important, but did they consider from the children’s perspective? How did the child feel about moving away to an area where it is multicultural and speaking in a foreign language? There are numerous factors that arose due to immigration. The most common ones would be lack of communication between the husband, the wife and the child, not being able to adjust to the new environment, hard to find new jobs that would have as much benefits as their previous job, need to be more independent by themselves.       <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">My sister, Angela and I were one of the two kids who moved to Toronto at a young age. I was eight years old and my sister was eleven. To me, I just thought of it as moving to a new home, since I didn’t have really close friends or anything back then. But as for my mother and sister, it was somewhat an unhappy change. I still remembered it was December 16, 1996 when we left for Toronto. My sister had one of her best friend Renee came to farewell. I saw tears in her eyes, but they didn’t fall on her cheek. My mother cried so hard that she could hardly breath at the gates when her best friends, brothers, sisters and my grandmother waved their hands to say good-bye to her. My father on the other hand was just like me. He was just standing there beside my mother with one hand on my mother’s shoulder. Since he is only going to travel with us to Toronto, get us settled down and head back to Hong Kong for work. I didn’t understand why my mother cried so hard at that moment till I actually grew older and became more mature. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There was so much to do once we arrived Toronto just like all the other new landed immigrants. We settled in our new home, cleaned up the place, bought groceries, got our television cable, telephone line and of course our hydro gas, open new bank accounts, find a school for my sister and I to be enrolled in since it was already mid-December. We didn’t have a car to drive around; we took the bus to everywhere we went in the freezing cold weather. This is all is only the beginning; there is still a long way to walk. My parents got their Canadian driver’s license, so we finally got a car. By the time everything settled, it was around the time of Chinese New Year. Sadly, my father had to head back to Hong Kong for work. For the first time in life I didn’t feel unity, but separated instead. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Research suggests that the decision for the husband to return to the place of origin is a result of the ordering of family priorities, especially over <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">education, so that family unity is sacrificed. The resulting separation evokes diverse responses. While many women struggle initially to settle <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">themselves and their children in an unfamiliar place, over time, they may relish their increased autonomy away from the presence and surveillance of <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">their partners” (Kobayashi, 154)  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The daily routine for the mother was usually to talk on the phone with their husbands, making breakfast and lunch for their kids, driving their kids to school, have lunch with their friends, buying groceries from the Chinese super markets and then heading home to prepare snacks, cleaning up the house, doing laundry and make dinner. That was basically the life for the mother, it repeated and repeated. Like every other families, their one and only income is from their husband. No one knows what will happen tomorrow, so they’ll save every penny in every area they could. It was hard for a woman to be the decision maker in the family. What to do when something in the household isn’t working right? Who should I get help from if I’m lost in the area in the dark? Where do I go for this, where should I go for that? Frustrations and pressure keeps on building up, but there is no one to give a hand. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not only does the wife have to worry about problems that arise daily, they are also worried about what is their husbands doing in Hong Kong. Is he having a hard time at work in Hong Kong? Is his position at work stable or is he in danger? Is he cheating on me for another women because I’m not there beside him? Every wife who has an astronaut husband thinks of these problems constantly. But there is no way to ask, since they don’t want to put more pressure on their loved ones. There are examples from all around the world about their other half cheating them for another woman due to immigration. One of the interviewed said, “He was at the age that he needed his masculinity reaffirmed, that he could still attract another woman. Since I’m not around, and another woman offered… Of course it took two to tango. But good sex is luring for men. Which man would refuse if a woman stood before him naked and wanting”? (Piper and Roces, 151) Who could the woman talk with for comforting? Even though the husband did cheat on the wife, but their decisions will directly affect their children if they were to be divorced. Of course, there is always parents who are really selfish and couldn’t accept the mistaken their husband made. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">With their wife’s lives repeating every day and night, definitely, she will be bored. At the time, the wife wants to attempt and ask if she should look for a job so she  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">   <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">can help out with the amount of money they’re spending here. Usually, the answer is “No, I think you should just look after the kids because they are still young.” In reality, it is quite hard for the woman to find a job in Toronto. Since they can’t speak English well, which makes it hard for them to communicate with others. Some might not have a car to travel to and back from work. As a result, they are only able to find jobs that spoke their same language, which was Cantonese and jobs that were close to their home. They would get paid in cash, but their salary would be way below the minimum pay. Also, their jobs won’t be jobs that work in offices as a clerk, a sales associate, but instead they are the cleaning ladies, some might work at restaurants to be a waitress or just work as a baby sitter at other’s home. Generally, the answer will be the same for several years. The answer might change after the acceptance of universities for their children or when they think their child is mature enough to let go and let them be on their own. By that time, it would be a good few years since they last had a job and their qualifications might not be good enough to compete with the other graduates or even people at the same age as them. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Immigrating to another country is not a hard thing to do. Serious consideration needs to be assessed before taking the step forward. Every individual can be a part of this factor. Whoever is involved in immigration is a stakeholder. Factors like will their marital status be in danger, can their child grow up in a good environment with proper education from school and their parents, is their enough money to support all decisions? There are endless factors to be considered. But of course, effective communications within the family and unity can help aid solve problems they encounter. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">**Bibliography** <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">  <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kobayashi, Audrey, Valerie Preston. 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