Change of fate

First Person | Xue Qianchun

My name is Xue Qianchun and I have been working in New York City as a nanny and maternity nurse for five years. I was born into a poor family in a mountainous rural area in Southwest China in 1980, but I fought against destiny and managed to make it to New York City.

My childhood dream was to go abroad to see the outside world and I'm very glad that I have managed to do so.

Because of poverty, I dropped out of school at age 14. I traveled to Shanghai at age 18 and began working as a cleaner.

Three years later I became a nanny because the monthly pay for a nanny was around 1,000 yuan ($150), which was double what I earned as a cleaner. I then aimed to become a nanny for expat families, because the monthly pay could be 2,500 yuan.

Money wasn't my sole motivation. It was also because I love English and I kept leaning English by myself. In 2007, I started to work for expat families in Shanghai.

I believe what makes me outstanding is that I'm passionate, prudent, honest and have a strong sense of service. From the first day I became a nanny, I set rules for myself: I cannot be lazy, I cannot steal, and I must show a strong sense of responsibility for the clients' children, even stronger than for my own children.

I never stopped learning English and I learned from every client I worked for.

In 2012, a US family that I had worked for in Shanghai said they wanted to bring me to New York because I was good at special traditional Chinese medicine massage techniques and making various types of soup that they liked. They helped me to obtain a business visa by presenting an invitation to let me be a babysitter for them. I have to renew the visa every six months.

My main job is to babysit and prepare three meals for the family every day. I also spend much time taking the child out to play and purchasing groceries. I love the job as it gives me plenty of opportunities to immerse myself in US society and to practice English.

I was even introduced to two of the clients' relatives to care for the new mothers and newborn babies as they believed the different service that I can offer - the Chinese massage and soup - are beneficial to the mothers.

Apart from working, I just completed a three-month program on cancer diets. My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic necrosis last year and I believe such food therapy can help people suffering from such diseases.

My husband's health condition is stable now and my children, aged 16 and 12, perform well academically. Fate has treated me fairly by putting weight on both sides of the scales of luck, but still I feel my destiny is like a myth.