A Chinese boy, last name of
Yong, was born about 1900 or shortly thereafter in China. He was early on dissatisfied with his life and always thought there must be a better place to live. The family thought of him as an oddball. So there came a time when he was in his teens, that some relatives came to visit and they worked the Pacific Ocean as sailors. By luck they needed a cabin boy and this kid jumped at the chance.
"If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes."
He liked the Philippines, and he thought Hawaii was great but plantation work not what he was hoping for. He liked San Francisco and he figured that this might be the place. However the ship was going to Los Angeles and then to Mexico and then go the same route back. He could wait. He though L.A. was terrific, so at that point, it was San Francisco or L,A
. At the seaport in Mexico his group happened to run into some Chinese that spoke the same Chinese that they did. They explained that the Revolution in Mexico was just over and everyone was going to make money, about 1919, and they had a "car." He "jumped" ship with his meager belongings and went with them to Guamuchil in the State of Sinaloa.
"Tu Lo Decidiste" por Ana Gabriel
They got him a job in the local Chinese restaurant and worked 10 hours a day six days a week. He had never learned to read and write in Chinese very well but now he made a special effort to learn the Spanish language. He learned how to go without to save a little money. He worked his way into the kitchen and join a group of same age boys that hung around together. Eventually he met a nice Mexican girl, from the lower economic classes. Got married and settled down. He became a good cook and through one of the good customers, he was able to buy a nice lot with beat up shack for a good price. He developed a nice partnership with his wife and they worked together to make it a home for the family's sake and eventually arose to the job of Chief Cook.
"Eres Todo En Mi" por Ana Gabriel
Now he realized that this was a much better life than he had envisioned before. He had several children and one of his daughters was born right about the time that I was born. And she in turn married a nice middle class Mexican guy and they in turn had several children and a special daughter, named Maria Guadalupe Araujo Yong. Latin Style, first name, middle name, fathers last name and mother's last name. She was born in 1955, and is now 67 years old. She learned music and singing and eventually became the reigning queen of Mexico singers. She is still among the best in Mexico.
"Historia De Un Amor" por Ana Gabriel
And her stage name was now
Ana Gabriel. Before her grandfather passed, she had concerts in the vicinity and always made arrangement for her Chinese grandfather to attend her concerts. He could have gotten front row but he always insisted on sitting on the side of the theater. Her favorite introduction always included her Big shot friends in the audience and there were many. And as always she would notice, "and that old Chinese man over there on the side, I know him. "Hola Abuelito" Oh, Hi, Grandpa! and of course he would beam. He had come a long ways. It was always a touching scene.
"The last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set
of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
