34. Unemployment

I learned American culture which was very different from Korean one at the real estate office. My boss, Cher, married to the college friend and the marriage did not last long. She was still close to her ex-husband who got remarried and had a family. He and his new wife often visited the office and they seemed to spend the week-ends and holidays together.

 

After I left the office, she got divorced from the owner of the company and remarried. I got an invitation card for her baby shower. Her first husband and his wife were hosting the party.

 

In Korea, once a couple got divorced, their families and friends also got split. In America, many divorced couples remained friends and kept good relationships. It was strange and interesting to me.

 

It was still the cold war era, and America was spending lots of money into military. There were military recruitment brochures all over the college campus I attended. It was my childhood dream to become Marine military police (MP). I was wondering if they had a special program for the disabled and I completed the recruitment application. One night, two recruiters in Marine uniforms came to my apartment. Once they realized I was the one who completed the application, they knew they wasted an evening. But they did not get upset. They advised me I could apply for civilian jobs in military once I became American citizen.

 

I passed the exams for state government jobs. Due to the budget crisis, the new hire was frozen. The exam results were good for 6 to 12 months. Some of the exam results expired and I had to retake them. A year later, notices for interviews began to come.

 

My counselor at Dept of Rehab advised me to give a notice to my current employer after I secured the job. I felt I had to tell them now so that they could look for the new hire. After my first state job interview, I told my boss I was looking for a job with the state.

 

A couple of days later, I came home from school and found a large envelop my boss dropped off earlier. It was the notice of my employment termination. They fired me. Next day, I went to the office, packed my personal belongings, and picked up the last pay check. I could tell Cher was sad to see me go. I knew her husband, not her, fired me.

 

The state agency I took the job interview with advised me to wait for few days. I applied for the unemployment. First 7 days were waiting period and I did not get paid. A few days later, I got the job interview notice from State Fund.

 

It turned out I could not do the job they had. I had to put files on the high shelves I could not reach. It was prior to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ADA became the law in 1990. It required the employers to provide the equal employment opportunities as long as the disabled person could do the essential functions of the job.

 

A few days later, another unit in the same office called me. Interviewers, office manager and supervisor, were middle age white women. They looked warm hearted good neighbors. They hired me. They treated me well as their son or nephew.

 

I was hired as office assistant typing and the initial salary was $1,050 a month. There were 30-40 employees in that office. District manager was a white man in his forties. He invited all new hires in his office and chatted. He asked me what my career goal was. I told him that I would want to be in his chair when I became his age. The thought just came to my mind while I was talking to him. In twenty some years later, I found myself at the door step of his office.