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From Emigrant To Immigrant

Anselmo Zanes cannot forget working for over a year earning $ 75 a week for 120 hours in a sweatshop. He had no idea he was entitled to over $ 5 per hour because he had not heard or read about the minimum wage.

Linda Leung had difficulty in getting medical care for her sister after the two had migrated from Hong Kong. Hardly anyone in the Chinese community knew how she could get the best attention for her sister.

Mining their own experiences, and those of other immigrants, the two -- along with nine others -- have written a book to be published in five months.

The 11 writers recently completed the English as a second language course.

Over 15,000 copies of the book From Emigrant to Immigrant will be published in 10 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Russian and Spanish.

The nine others who have joined Zanes and Leung were their classmates in their English as a second language class. The book will be distributed free in libraries, temples, mosques, churches, community centers and workplaces.

The book focuses on the authors's struggle with finding jobs and good living conditions in America, learning English and understanding the basic law that could help them.

It is being published by the University Settlement Society and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York, which offered the English classes. It will be updated with the help of the new batch of students.

If you would like to post any information about forthcoming events or community happenings, please email the details to bettypais@aol.com

Information and photographs can also be mailed to Betty Pais at 87-52 108th Street, 2nd Floor, Richmond Hill, NY 11418-2229, USA.

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