Legacy from a Great Generation 

by Cecilia (Cece) Chow St.Martin 

In 1943, my father was given the assignment of consular officer at the
Embassy of the Republic of China in Washington, D.C. It was a top
assignment, as many officers wanted the opportunity to come to America.
However, getting to America while World War II was going on was a
challenge. From my parents' passports of the Republic of China on
September 2, 1943, they were granted travel to the U.S. by passage through
India, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa, Brazil and all British and American
ports. The U.S. Embassy issued their diplomatic visas (granted under
Section 3, Paragraph 1 of the Immigration Act of 1924) on September 8,
1943. In addition, they obtained diplomatic visas issued by the British
Embassy in Chungking that allowed them to travel through all British
territories en route to the U.S., as well as in transit through Iraq and
Egypt. Years later, my mother mentioned the fear she felt in flying over
the mountains in a small propeller plane and my father spoke of turning
off the lights in the ship as they were crossing the ocean for fear of the
German submarines. Despite all the danger, they successfully arrived in
San Francisco on November 19, 1943.  My parents came to America with the
thought of returning to China, as diplomatic assignments usually lasted
for a few years before return to the native country and subsequent
assignments elsewhere. My father's passport indicated that he had an
extension until November 17, 1946 by the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
However, war times and the following period provided an exception to the
normal protocol and my father served proudly as a consular officer in the
Embassy of the Republic of China in Washington from 1943 to 1958. He
absolutely loved every moment of his career as a diplomat. 

In the meantime, our family lived in what is now known as the Adams Morgan
section of Washington, D.C. On weekends, my family, friends and families
of my parents spent refreshing afternoons at Hains Point along the
Potomac. My mother and the aunties, still all properly attired in their
Chinese dresses, prepared wonderful picnic lunches filled with Chinese
delicacies and sandwiches. It was a wonderful and carefree time that I
shall always treasure. 

Despite their delicate nature, these women, who followed their husbands
across the ocean to live in a new country, could be tough. In one horrible
incidence, a man broke into our apartment when my mother was alone with my
newborn brother. My mother successfully fought the intruder off in order
to protect her son and called the police. The man was almost twice my
mother's size. After that terrifying time, our family moved to suburban
Maryland where there was less crime.In 1959, my father was finally
assigned back to the Republic of China, which was in Taiwant following the
war. It must have been a difficult decision for him to leave a career that
he passionately loved and believed in. However, he and my mother knew that
America would be the land of opportunity for myself and my brother and
that they wanted their children to be educated here. As a result, Dad
resigned from his post. Now the dilemma was to decide what to do to
support his family. We never had much money, as Dad's salary with the
diplomatic service could not compare to U.S. commensurate salaries for a
similar position in the nation's capital. What we lacked in financial
security, we had in the close knit family consisting of my parent's good
friends who became my surrogate extended family and who my brother and I
called "uncles" and "aunties."  Love was always in abundant supply and the
home cooked meals by my aunties were superb.  


(Part 2 of 3, to be continued.)