1 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: There is no mandatory retirement age in America, so at 2 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: a time when people are expected to slow down, some 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: find that older age can become an opportunity to start 4 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: over in a completely new career and even a new life. 5 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: Ying Chang Song did just that when he landed in 6 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: Los Angeles almost ten years ago. Nah yeah, yo yeer ay. 7 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: I left China because there were some things I wanted 8 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: to do in my life and didn't want to admit 9 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: I was too old for that. It turns out he 10 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: wasn't too old, but starting over in a foreign place 11 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: and in a new culture without speaking the language or 12 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: knowing a single person, turned out to be more liberating 13 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: than he'd ever imagined. On this edition of On the Job, 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: brought to you by Express Employment Professionals, we've got the 15 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: story of a man who gave up a conventional life 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: in China and found his artistic calling in Los Angeles. 17 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: Later in life, we'll have that story in a moment. 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: Beyond the Job podcast celebrates the journey of hard working 19 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: men and women as they work towards making their dreams 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: a reality. In season two of this podcast from Express 21 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: Employment Professionals, we share the ups and downs triumphs and challenges, 22 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 1: and the oftentimes winding roads that lead to satisfaction. In 23 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: our work, we learn how people earn a living and 24 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: watch them define who they are in their communities and 25 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: beyond our long term goal to put a million people 26 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: to work. Are you ready for a new job. Did 27 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: you take your job search online only to spend hour 28 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: after hours searching and applying, but rarely connecting with anyone. 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: It's time to find your next job with the help 30 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: of Express Employment professionals. Let Express be your connection to 31 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: local jobs. Find the look patition nearest you at Express 32 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: pros dot com. With Express, you'll benefit from thirty five 33 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: years of experience and putting people to work, and job 34 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,519 Speaker 1: seekers are never charged defeat. More than half a million 35 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: people already find jobs with Express each year. Contact your 36 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 1: local Express office, go in and interview, and let the 37 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: people at Express connect you with available jobs in your area. 38 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: Don't go alone any longer in your job search. Find 39 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: your local Express Employment professional's office by visiting Express pros 40 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: dot com now and here's Independent producer Rooksandra Guidi with 41 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: the story of Ying Chang Song. I first met Mr 42 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: Song last spring on a warm Saturday morning in Chinatown, 43 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: near downtown Los Angeles. He sat in a plastic stool 44 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: at the intersection of Broadway in College Street, where tons 45 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: of tourists cross back and forth each day as they 46 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: visit at shops and restaurants. Standing at barely five feet tall, 47 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: Mr Song wore a Panama hat in a red silk jacket, 48 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: the kind with the mau collar in the dragon designs 49 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: all over. In his left hand, he held a bow 50 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: and in his right a traditional Chinese instrument with a 51 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 1: long wooden handle and a small, round body the size 52 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: of a grapefruit. That's his ur who Our interpreter, She Shang, 53 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: approached him while he played in earnest and within minutes 54 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: the two of them realized they were from the same 55 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: city in northern China, so they hit it off immediately. 56 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: Not only did they both speak Mandarin, which made them 57 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: a minority here in Chinatown, where Cantonese is more prevalent, 58 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: but they knew the same folk songs. He was visibly 59 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: thrilled to have met someone who could sing along with him. 60 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: She's more than half his age, he's sixty eight, and 61 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: a song from a popular folk song from a TV show. 62 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: It turns out Mr Song has been playing the arhu 63 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: on the street for money at this corner for almost 64 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: five years. It doesn't matter how much money I earned. 65 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 1: I'm just happy coming here to play. He can make 66 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 1: as much as two hundred dollars on a weekend, he says, 67 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: but still he considers this a hobby. He first started 68 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: playing the instrument when he was a teenager more than 69 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: fifty years ago, and kept practicing at home whenever he 70 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: got a chance. Playing music is really my passion, and 71 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: I have a lot of time to devote to that now. 72 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: There isn't much else I want in life other than 73 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: playing music. But I do have this wild dream of 74 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: going all over the US. It would be going on 75 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: tour solo, just he and his er who playing street 76 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: corners all over the United States. He would get to 77 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: visit new places while introducing the Chinese two string fiddle 78 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: to people who have probably never heard the sound before. 79 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: You could think of Mr Song as a cultural ambassador 80 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: on the road without a worry in the world. This 81 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: is his very own version of the American dream. We 82 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:27,919 Speaker 1: spent about an hour chatting on the corner of Broadway 83 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: in college, but on that first visit, Mr Song didn't 84 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: tell us much about his life before they are who 85 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: and how it is that he had ended up in 86 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: l A. So we made plans to catch him another time. 87 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: On a weekday morning. We met up at his local library. 88 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: That's where he often goes to keep up with the 89 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: news back home through Chinese newspapers. She sat next to 90 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: him at a table. He looked down at her smartphone, 91 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: eyes wide open. I was just showing him, um, the 92 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: one myself online based map where he can seek and 93 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 1: zoom out and see the entire China and where we are, 94 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: which is what the blue dog shows. And so we 95 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: are where we're from as part of Shandong Province, and 96 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: the city is called chin Dao. With his thumb and 97 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: index fingers, Mr Song zoomed in and out of an 98 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: online map for the very first time. He told us 99 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,039 Speaker 1: he had actually been raised in a rural community, but 100 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: in the late nineteen fifties, alongside millions of other Chinese, 101 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 1: his family resettled in a big city. Yeah, he was 102 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: born like somewhere around here, and when he was twenty, 103 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: there was the Great Famine in China, so his family, 104 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: entire family moved to Harden in the north. He went 105 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: to college in ching Dao and became a dentist. Mr 106 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: Song got married and had two sons. He started his 107 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: own dentistry practice and was able to provide his family 108 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: a good, middle class life. By every measure, he was 109 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: a successful man. He had a good career and loved 110 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: spending time with his family. But a decade ago, his 111 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: wife suddenly passed away, and Mr Song struggled to find 112 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: new meaning in his life to figure out what was next. 113 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: He was fifty eight and ready for a big change. 114 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 1: He struggled as he looked for answers for about a year, 115 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: and then, seemingly on a whim, he decided to leave 116 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: his dentistry practice to his sons, who had followed in 117 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: his path. He packed a single suitcase and got a 118 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: one way flight to America. Before I came, I thought 119 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: the US was a very magical place, almost like a 120 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: paradise in the West. But after coming here, I realized 121 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: that I couldn't really read the road sidnes I couldn't 122 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: told to people, so I felt like I was blind 123 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: and deaf and felt isolated. When I came to Chinatown, 124 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: I finally felt like I could get accustomed to life here. 125 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: At first, mom Mr Song thought that even though he 126 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: didn't speak in English, he would go back to doing 127 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: what he knew, fixing people's teeth. He had the idea 128 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: of opening a small clinic in Chinatown, where there weren't 129 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: very many. There are a lot of Chinese speaking people 130 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: in Chinatown, and in most places you can see Chinese. 131 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: But even if he spoke his customers language, there was 132 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: another big challenge up ahead getting certified to practice here. 133 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: That recertification process was lengthy and expensive, and he needed 134 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: to get to work right away to support himself. Before long, 135 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: he gave up on that idea of trying to become 136 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: a dentist in the US. That's when it occurred to him, 137 00:08:56,040 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 1: why not play the Rho for money. I've been playing 138 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: several instruments since I was a teenager, like the flute 139 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: and also the r Who. But the flute was really 140 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: loud and several neighbors complained, so I primarily played the 141 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: r Who. And when I started hearing complaints from the 142 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: neighbors were playing the r Who too. That's when I 143 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: decided I'm playing it on the street. He'd seen other 144 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,959 Speaker 1: street performers around downtown l A collecting change in their 145 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: instrument cases, so he gave it a try one day 146 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: on a corner just a few blocks from his Chinatown 147 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 1: one bedroom apartment. It worked at first. He headed out 148 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:46,559 Speaker 1: to play the are who almost every day world. Sometimes 149 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: I meet younger people who appreciate my music on the 150 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: street and we have a good time together and they 151 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: start dauncing. I don't really know how to play Western music. 152 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: I just know Merry Christmas and Happy broth Day. A 153 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: lot of the tourists would request the play Happy Birthday 154 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 1: to someone for some change. But he had good days 155 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: and bad days, and living in Los Angeles isn't cheap. 156 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: His share of the rent is about a four dollars 157 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: a month, so he had to figure out a new 158 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: hustle on top of his street performance if he wanted 159 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:25,199 Speaker 1: to stay in the U. S. We're listening to independent 160 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,679 Speaker 1: producer Roxandra Guidi bringing us the story of Ying Chang Sung, 161 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: a Chinese dentist who has found another calling here in 162 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: the United States. We will continue with his story in 163 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: a moment. First, a word from Express Employment Professionals. One 164 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: company is on a mission to put a million people 165 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: to work each year. Sounds like a big number, doesn't 166 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,439 Speaker 1: it not? To Express Employment Professionals seeking a skilled labor 167 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: position or administrative worth. Maybe you're an executive looking for 168 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: a career that fits. We take pride in connecting the 169 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: right people with the right company. Express Employment Professionals is 170 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: on a mission to put a million people to work 171 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: each year. Let us help. We'll open doors for you. 172 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,559 Speaker 1: Go to Express pros dot com to find a location 173 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,440 Speaker 1: near you. I'm Steve Mencher, your host for on the 174 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: job Now back to our store. Early on a weekday morning, 175 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: we met Mr Song outside an old, nondescript gray building 176 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: in downtown Los Angeles. He's come on his bike hauling 177 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: a small cart behind him, something that he's rigged himself 178 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: with a sharpening wheel, stone and some tools where you 179 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: can't warrior, who gred your chamber? You will truck over you. 180 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: I used to work in a garment factory as a 181 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: comment worker myself, and I saw people coming around doing 182 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: scissors sharpening, and I thought, I know how to shoppen scissors, 183 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: So I got the idea that I can do that myself. 184 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: I started doing it manually, but it was too hot 185 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: on my hands, so I got a machine and I 186 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:55,679 Speaker 1: earned more money than I did when I worked as 187 00:11:55,679 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: a comment worker. With cart and toe. Mr Song walks 188 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,679 Speaker 1: into every warehouse inside the Gray Building, advertising his services 189 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:13,559 Speaker 1: to the garment workers there. I sharpened sisters. The workers, 190 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,200 Speaker 1: most of them Spanish speaking, know him already. They get 191 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: their sisters sharpened with him every month, and some of 192 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,439 Speaker 1: them recognize him from his or who playing in Chinatown. 193 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: He sharpens the gartment workers all sisters for a dollar 194 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: and also sells new sisters for two But I usually 195 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: don't care about what they got. I just want to 196 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:39,319 Speaker 1: sell all the boxes. And at the end of the day, 197 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: when he sold all the wholesale boxes of sisters he's 198 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: been hauling, he usually ends up with a couple of 199 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 1: hundred dollars and profits. I like shopping scissors. Let's speak 200 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 1: at around and I see all the city that way. 201 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: He takes the elevator down to the street level and 202 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 1: it matches his sharpening cart to the back of his bike. 203 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:06,680 Speaker 1: It's almost new, and he's head at home, riding through 204 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: l A's historic downtown and towards Chinatown, a good ten 205 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: mile ride above main streets and freeway overpasses. He's in 206 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: great physical shape for a sixty eight year old man, 207 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: and no small part because of his daily bike rides, 208 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 1: and because he keeps busy and engaged when he's now 209 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: playing the Arhu or sharpening sisters or riding his bike. 210 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: Mr Song is back at the library studying for his 211 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: US citizenship test, but because he must speak English in 212 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: order to take the test, he's trying to learn English too, 213 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: and that's perhaps the most daunting part of his new 214 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: life in America, learning a new language. As an older person, 215 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: it's really half of me to memorize anything, so learning 216 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: a language is a real challenge. Most of the people 217 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: in English class are elderly, just like me, but some 218 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: of them have faster memory than I do. It takes 219 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: them wants to remember things it takes me five times 220 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,679 Speaker 1: or ten times, so I really have to put in 221 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: a lot more efforts. Abraham, Abraham. On this day, she 222 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: is sitting next to him in class, helping him with 223 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 1: his pronunciation. Mr paris a man. George Washington is the 224 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: father of our country, he says under his breath, and 225 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,120 Speaker 1: she corrects him, writing out what the sounds of those 226 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: words in English would look like in standard Chinese. Little 227 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: by little, over the many months I spent getting to 228 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: know Mr Song his English skills seemed to improve. He 229 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: was serious about practicing and going to class. His main 230 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 1: goal at this stage in life was to be able 231 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: to pass his citizenship test and fulfill his dream to 232 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: travel across American a Greyhound bus with his RHO. But 233 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: the more I looked around at other people, even much 234 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: younger people, the more unique Mr Song seemed. He had 235 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: a drive to succeed in his own terms and no 236 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: qualms about what that took. He was endlessly positive and 237 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: hard working, and even despite the challenges of a new 238 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: life in the US without his grown sons, he showed 239 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: no desire to return to China. Yes, you are right 240 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: is a very rare case, I asked Brandy Orton, at 241 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: gerontologist who works for St. Barnabas Senior Serve us IS 242 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles, serving a population of immigrant and low 243 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: income seniors. Like Mr Song. When you become a street 244 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: performer or as someone who sharpens knives, you are your 245 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: own boss. There is no one to discriminate against you, 246 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: quote unquote as an employer, and you determine who you're 247 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 1: going to do business with and where you're going to go, 248 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: and quite often you build a community around you. Of 249 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: people who purchase your services. This is true for Mr Song. 250 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: He has very loyal customers, whether they are the garment 251 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: workers who get their sisters sharpened with him, or the 252 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: tourists or locals who walk up to him and give 253 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: him change when they hear him playing his r who 254 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:43,240 Speaker 1: in the neighborhood. Some of these people have helped him 255 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 1: find new sources of income, or they have told him 256 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,240 Speaker 1: about the free English classes at the library. They are 257 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: his network of friends and fans, the ones who make 258 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: him want to keep playing his art who for as 259 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: long as he can. What really matters? What are the 260 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: critical things that make their life worth living? Dr William 261 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: Vega is looking for an answer that would help explain 262 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: Mr Song's resilience. He's executive director of the University of 263 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:12,679 Speaker 1: Southern California Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging and what 264 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,160 Speaker 1: are the things that impinge upon their ability to achieve 265 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 1: those things or not? That is the critical message that 266 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:19,359 Speaker 1: people want to know about, because in the end, it's 267 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:24,199 Speaker 1: an existential question. I've asked Mr Song those same existential questions, 268 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 1: and time and time again he's told me the same thing. 269 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:31,120 Speaker 1: He doesn't want to feel like he's too old for anything, 270 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 1: not riding his bike or learning a new language. And always, 271 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:39,160 Speaker 1: above all, he loves playing the r Who. A few 272 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: other things in life seem to make him as happy. 273 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: One day last summer, she and I ran into Mr 274 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: Song in Chinatown had been a while. She tells Mr 275 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: Song that she's going to China soon to visit her parents, 276 00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:59,440 Speaker 1: and he asks her to bring him a new ar 277 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 1: Who back. She stops to think about it. Why do 278 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: you need a new er Who? Just the day before? 279 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,159 Speaker 1: He tells her he'd had a good gig playing as 280 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 1: Our Who, and he imagines he'll get more of those 281 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: in the future. Some TV or film producers approached me 282 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 1: to play music on their set as part of that movie. 283 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: So I've been to their studio. It paid like fifty 284 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: or sixty dollars. It only took ten or twenty minutes, 285 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:31,919 Speaker 1: but they put makeup on me and they put me 286 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: in costumes. From the sound of his voice, I could 287 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 1: tell he loved it. I asked him if he wanted 288 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: to be in the movies, if that was part of 289 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: his dream too. No, not really. He just wants to 290 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,639 Speaker 1: keep playing, he says, keep getting better. He wants to 291 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: prove to himself that he can be a great seventy 292 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: year old or who play or some day young What 293 00:18:55,600 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: do you part of being a famous musician or singer 294 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: would have been great, Brett, don't think I'm playing quite 295 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: at that level yet. So playing on the street is 296 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: just the way for me to have fun and also 297 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,399 Speaker 1: a way to share Chinese culture. It doesn't matter how 298 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,880 Speaker 1: much money I earned, as long as it brings me joy. 299 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: And with that, Mr Song jumped back on his bike. 300 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 1: He asked she to think about bringing him back an 301 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: er who he was wearing his Panama hat and his 302 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: red silk jacket. His Urho case was slung across his back, 303 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: and he was on his way to his corner at 304 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:45,679 Speaker 1: Broadway in College. You've been listening to the second act 305 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: from retired Chinese dentist to l a musician producer Rook. 306 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,399 Speaker 1: Sandra Guidi first met Mr Song while working on a 307 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: story for public radio station k c r W with 308 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 1: support from the Eisner Foundation. And that's all for this 309 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: edition and of On the Job from Express Employment Professionals. 310 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: Find out more at Express prose dot com, and you 311 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: can listen to every podcast this season at Express Prose 312 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: dot com. Slash podcast. This podcast is produced by your host, 313 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: Steve Mencher from men'sh Media, I Heart Radio and Red 314 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:24,440 Speaker 1: Seat Ventures. You can subscribe on iHeart Radio and iTunes, 315 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: where we hope you'll leave a nice review that helps 316 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: other folks find us. And of course you can listen 317 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,160 Speaker 1: and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you next 318 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:35,680 Speaker 1: time on the job.