Meet Kamonwan Chen, a gemologist from Thailand

The story of how an immigrant woman from Thailand learned her way around NYC

Written by Allie Ginwala

 

Tell us a little about yourself
I’m Kamonwan Chen, from Thailand. I just moved here in January 2018. Before I moved, I came here on business trips four or five times. So it’s not all brand new, but visiting on business and living here is totally different.

What brought you to New York City?
I got married. We met on a business trip and were in a relationship for three years before we got married.

Tell me about your early days in New York City. What was it like trying to find work? How was adjusting to a new place?
When I first got here, I wanted to just enjoy the city for a half year or a year, so I told my husband, “I worked for 10 years straight, right after school, so I want to take some time off.” I just explored the city, relaxed, got familiar with it and tried to find something that I was interested in. I didn’t want anything serious like work, but some activity. I was a gemologist. I still work in this industry.

How did you discover LEAD? What made you decide to try it?
Through the public library, I searched for many workshops, found the LEAD program and just signed up. At the beginning, I had no idea what the course would be like. I thought it was about living or some stuff like that, but it’s more to prepare you for a career. I joined the class and when you get to know more people, that leads you from one activity to another. I did so many. I just tried to be open to everything. In New York City, there is a lot of opportunity.

How did LEAD help you adjust to US work culture?
First thing was the resume. On the resume back home, everyone puts their picture and all their personal info, like single or engaged. So here, if I didn’t know that, I would never get a job. I worked with American companies, that’s why I traveled here a lot, but I never did a recruiting process or anything like that  because I had a job. So I had no idea.

Did joining LEAD help you adjust in other ways?
I’m pretty independent, but it’s nice to have friends. So the LEAD program helped me find the first friends that I had here. It’s so nice when you meet people who share pretty much the same experience — you’re an immigrant here, you’re new to the city. So we talked to each other, created a group chat. I think the program finished in April, but right now we still meet each other every month. The last time,  we went to the Whitney Museum. Right now everyone has a job. It’s nice to see the progress and keep contact.

What has your work experience been like since participating in LEAD?
New York has a lot of things going on. My company has an office here and another in California so I’ve been experiencing both sides. Before, I thought my English was good enough to order food and do what I want. But when you start working, you realize there is a lot more to learn. And Americans use a lot of acronyms! So many times, I think, “What is that? What is this?”

How has living in New York City been since participating in LEAD?
The LEAD program helped a lot because if you [make an effort to] get involved in something, the instructor will try to help lead you to more activities. I joined the LEAD program and got to know some interesting people. Also, having a network is a big thing. It’s a big change. How are we immigrants going to get a network? We just moved here. We don’t have friends. So the instructor introduced us to other programs that helped us meet more people.

What do you do for fun in your free time?
I like cafe hopping. I like to try different coffees and I go to a lot of cafes in the Village, and bring a book. The charming part of New York is you can talk to anyone very easily.

What advice do you have for other women who are considering LEAD?
If you feel lost and don’t know where to start, LEAD is a good place to start here. Many things you need are basically there. You just bring yourself. Even if you have no idea of anything, there is nothing to lose. Just give yourself a chance. If someone is too scared and doesn’t know if they fit in, it’s worth a try. For me, it worked out great. There are a lot of benefits. To the new women who just moved here and might be too scared to do stuff, you brought yourself to New York City, there is a lot of opportunity open out there. It’s up to you to go out to get it. You are here already. You just have to go out.