The next generation

The stories of two immigrant families, one from Mexico and one from China, and how the second generation becomes American. DP

By Melissa Flores

The Sunday Pinnacle: When Gabriel Montes, now 24, was born his parents disagreed about what language should be his first. His mother, Teresa, wanted him to speak only English. But his father, Alfredo, wanted him to start out speaking Spanish. In the end, the couple had a Spanish-speaking babysitter so Montes learned his parents' native tongue and knew little English when he went to school.

"For me, English was so hard. I wanted my kids to have a better life," said Teresa, who emigrated from Mexico when she was 17. "I didn't want them to speak Spanish, but my husband said they should speak it."

The struggle over language, an emphasis on education and obligations to family are themes that run through many lives of children born to immigrants or those who immigrated as youngsters. While their families come from different parts of the world, Montes' life is not so different from David Wong, 29, who also grew up in Gilroy. Both men now carry on their shoulders the world their parents left behind and the opportunities created for them.

Work comes first

David Wong's life has been influenced by his parents' experience as immigrants as much as Montes'.

Wong has straight black hair, dark skin and a lean body. But what distinguishes him most from his parents is his height. He towers over them at six feet, a testament to the better nutrition and healthcare he and his brother received in the United States.

He came to the United States from China with his family when he was 3 years old. His parents had relatives in San Francisco. The family settled into a one-bedroom apartment. While his father worked in a tofu factory and his mother sewed, he and his brother were left alone.
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