Jazmin Liang’s Journey From China to Tijuana
This article is part of the ESC Club’s “Crossing Borders, Building Futures” oral history project, documenting the experiences of Chinese families living in and around the San Diego-Baja California border region. The ESC Club is a student-driven organization operating under the nonprofit Amazing Grace Institute, dedicated to multicultural communication and STEM education.
Based on an oral-history interview conducted by ESC Club students Ashley and Renee
Introduction
At the age of sixteen, Jazmin Liang left China with her parents and moved to Mexico. She arrived with a few Spanish language books, but little idea of what her new life would be like. She would enter a new school, learn a new language she barely understood, and adapt to a country she had previously known only through television. Over time, what began as an uncertain move transformed into a life Jazmin chose to build.
Leaving China
Jazmin’s family did not know whether Mexico would become their permanent home. They planned to spend about two years observing their circumstances, then decide what to do next. As Jazmin described, “好就待在哪，不好就走。” “If things were good, we would stay. If things were not good, we would leave.” Therefore, Mexico was more of a possibility than a final decision. Eventually, the family decide to remain in Mexico, making the temporary period of uncertainty something much more permanent, where Jazmin would spend the next several years learning to build a life in a country she had never expected to call home.
Imagining Mexico From Afar
Before her arrival in Mexico, Jazmin’s impression of the country came mostly from media such as television, making her understanding distant from the everyday life she would eventually experience. “好像是沙漠地帶啊，然後很多仙人掌之類的,” she recalled, “I thought it was a desert region, with lots of cacti.” She imagined a country with intense sunlight and a vastly different environment than the one with which she was familiar in China.
She knew that Spanish was primarily spoken, and before leaving China, she had already taken some introductory Spanish classes. She also had some education in English and hoped this experience would make it easier for her to learn Spanish. However, once she arrived, she quickly realized that learning Spanish in a classroom was completely different from communicating with native speakers. “等我直接自己到了墨西哥後才發現……我們是學不到的，還要自己慢慢在生活中積累,” she said. “It wasn’t until I actually arrived in Mexico that I realized that there were things we couldn’t learn from classes; I needed to slowly accumulate skills through everyday life.”
The language varied depending on region, and native speakers used accents and expressions that she had never encountered in a book. Jazmin realized that to truly learn the language and understand the community around her, she would have to go beyond simply memorizing vocabulary and grammar and instead learn from everyday experience.
Starting Over
Jazmin arrived in Tijuana during the summer. She still vividly remembers how she looked out at the city as the sun went down one evening. “滿一個山頭，就是金燦的小燈泡……滿滿一個地上都是金燦燦的，好漂亮啊,” she recalled, “The entire hillside was covered with little golden lights. Everything was glowing. It was so beautiful.”
While her first impression of Tijuana was beautiful, it still existed alongside a period of difficult adjustment. Jazmin had grown up with relatively comfortable living conditions in China, and Mexico felt dramatically different as at the time, internet access, transportation, and other infrastructure were much less developed. Ordinary things that connected her to China became difficult to obtain. She could not simply order Chinese products online and have them delivered from another country; she had to locate specific stores that carried them. On top of learning a new language, Jazmin had to learn to navigate an unfamiliar environment without many of the conveniences and resources she had grown accustomed to in China.
Navigating a New World
School became one of Jazmin’s major challenges. She began high school alongside local students in the Mexican education system. As a foreign student, she had to translate her documents into Spanish and provide proof of her previous educational level before she could even register. Eventually, she enrolled in a private school, where she encountered peers from a variety of backgrounds.
The language barrier remained a huge obstacle for Jazmin, as her spanish was still very limited. During her first days at school, she relied heavily on a dictionary. She constantly looked up translations, writing notes down and often needing to teach herself instead of having a teacher explain every unfamiliar word. “你看得懂一半的話，你肯定是很想很想很著急的，去了解到全文,” she explained, “If you can understand half of something, you become very eager to understand the entire thing.”
Through this determination and motivation, Jazmin accumulated vocabulary and grammar. Words that once seemed unfamiliar and out of reach became part of her everyday speech. Eventually, she was able to understand the way native speakers would communicate instead of relying on dictionaries.
Building Independence
As Jazmin adjusted to life in Mexico, she also became increasingly responsible for navigating daily life for not just herself, but also her family. Her parents were older and were less comfortable interacting with people from a different cultural and linguistic background. Because Jazmin was younger and more willing to communicate, she often had to step forward.
“語言能力的話也是逼出來,” she explained, “My language ability was really something I was forced to develop.” She began interacting with local residents to figure out how to complete tasks that were unfamiliar to her family. After about a year, she could independently handle many practical responsibilities. She opened bank accounts, arranged internet services, paid utility bills, obtained a phone, and navigated transportation. For example, she said, “幫父母就是呃教會他們怎麼乘車坐車去哪裡這樣子; I taught my parents how to take the bus and where to go.”
Jazmin’s independence extended to her finances. While she was still a minor, she relied on her parents for money. Once she turned eighteen, she began working on weekends and started paying for the things she needed on her own. Trying not to place additional financial pressure on her parents, she also began saving money from school. Overall, her experience in Mexico pushed her toward independence despite being at a very young age.
Making Mexico Home
Jazmin’s education and career eventually became another important part of the life she was building in Mexico. She attended university there, and during her second year, she was introduced to a company looking for an employee who could speak Mandarin. At the time, Jazmin was still a university student. She worked in the mornings and attended university in the afternoons, balancing her education with her growing professional responsibilities. After graduating, she transitioned into full-time work. Her career gradually helped improve her family’s financial stability.
Today, Jazmin’s parents, husband, and son all live in Mexico. Many of her relatives have established long-term lives there as well, with stable jobs and businesses. Although some relatives remain in China, Jazmin does not plan to return there to live permanently. “比較打算是應該只說是在墨西哥就這麼待下去了，我不再打算就是回國居住。”
When Jazmin first arrived in Tijuana at sixteen, she did not know whether she would stay. She had only seen Mexico from afar, arrived with limited Spanish, and struggled to understand the people around her and adapt to the new environment. However, over time, she learned to communicate, navigate school and daily life, support her parents, and build a career. Through determination, perseverance, and communication, Jazmin now has a permanent life in Mexico that she built on her own.
