Tian Jian Cui

In 1993, I met a young Chinese lady. She was 22 years old and she worked for the CNMI’s biggest garment factory. Her English name is Tina.

For a while, Tina worked in the production section, under Mr. Tommy Ching, a hard-driving, terribly efficient garment operations man, who had always been very affable to me. However, by the time I made her acquaintance, Tina had already been promoted to an administrative position in the executive offices, where she worked both as a translator and as a secretary to Mr. Willie Tan.

I first met Tina in Mr. Tan’s office. I was conversing with Yolly (Mr. Tan’s primary secretary) and Elizabeth Rechebei, Tan Holdings’ special community affairs consultant at the time, when in she came to deliver some important documents.

“Who was that woman?” I asked, after she left the office. “I don’t remember seeing her in here before.”

“Oh,” replied Mrs. Rechebei, “That’s just Tina, Willie’s new secretary.”

Tina intrigued me. She seemed particularly efficient and intelligent. I especially liked her voice. She had a particularly charming Chinese accent, which was made all the more enchanting whenever she would pronounce the word “Charles.”

Needless to say, from that point on, I tried to find any pretext imaginable to go down to Willie’s executive offices, just to be able to see her. It was not long before we started exchanging notes and developing a friendship.

At no point during that period did she ever say, “I am sorry, Charles. I am not allowed to speak to you. My boss has severely berated me for calling you up at your extension upstairs, during office hours.” I have no recollection of Tina ever registering serious complaints about her working or living conditions.

When I took her to lunch at Shirley’s one afternoon, she did not say, “Sorry, Charles, I am not allowed to leave the office grounds during my lunch break”–as Mr. Miller and Mr. Stayman would both love for you to believe.

Tina was a valuable employee. She worked in Saipan for about two years, before going on to work in Hong Kong for Tan Holdings.

We lost touch when I left Tan Holdings and later returned to college in the United States. Of course, I did later wonder, “whatever happened to her.” I tried to write her once from the states, but, by then, she had already left Saipan for Hong Kong.

However, shortly after I started writing for the Saipan Tribune, I received an e-mail message from Sol Raflores, Ben Fitial’s former secretary, now in Hong Kong, who used to work closely with Tina. She wrote to congratulate me on my columns. Apparently, as a THC employee, Sol gets the Saipan Tribune in Hong Kong.

In my reply, the first question I asked Sol was: “Do you know what ever happened to Tina?” A few weeks later, I would receive e-mail from Tina herself, in the United States. (Thanks again, Sol.)

From China, Saipan and Hong Kong, Tina went on to graduate with a master’s degree at an American university. She is happily married, and now works for a big American consulting company specializing in management information systems. From the factory floor of Asia to corporate America–this is a true success story, an American dream born out of Saipan. A success story you will never hear from any of our fanatical detractors.