Phil M. Chun born in Stockton, California. Graduate of San Jose State University with a major in Business Management (1973). Upon graduation, he worked for starter-ups and some of the largest high techs during the genesis of Silicon Valley. Ranging from Hewlett-Packard, 3Com, Access Lan, Sun Microsystems to Oracle as a Program Manager in New Products Development till his retirement in 2009. Volunteer English Conversation teacher at Mission College and Cupertino Senior Center from 2006 to 2020. Retirement years are now filled with gardening, cooking, exercising and travels.
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Many years ago, upon graduation from college, I worked at a firm building mass spectrometry equipment. An analytical tool used to calculate the exact molecular weight of the sample. It was as foreign to me as my cubicle mate who worked next to me. Luis was simultaneously a professional football player for the San Jose Saber Cats.
My earlier years always found me participating in all sports which I played well but only as an amateur. Whether it was football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, bowling, tennis, or frisbee, I had the hand-eye coordination for it but never the opportunity to make a team because of required skill level, size, time, opportunities or money. So, I didn’t really understand what constitutes a professional athlete.
Luis kicked field goals and kick-offs. At 6’ 2” and 195lbs, he was a giant compared to my 5’9, 140lb frame. Because of my love for sports, we shared much in common as we learned together the mysteries of our company’s products and of each other. It was fun working next to someone of similar age but with very different background. He is Mexican and raised quite differently than my Chinese upbringing. Luis was not your typical jock and certainly his friends were also quite different than mine, but deep down inside, we were both similar in being inquisitive, young, and optimistic. Each lunch period when I eagerly started to take care of my stomach, Luis was out for his daily run. This 195-pound man ran almost the entire lunch period, I was indeed puzzled. When he returned, it was always a large healthy salad and some protein. It was never junk food like mine. Of course, practice took place several days a week after work and his discipline was exceptional. We often talked about proper eating and exercise programs. We also shared our dreams of someday owning a home, getting married, landing a big job and getting rich.
Taking care of his body was always a priority. We became good friends at work discussing all subjects on sports and of course, his team’s prowess in the last game. I was a couple years older than Luis, helping him with the job but he taught me from an early age, whether you are a professional athlete or not, one must care for one’s body. Well, it is now almost 40 years later and his words still resonate with me.
Cross culture relationships are both meaningful and enriching. We have to be opened to it and to each other. Diverse friendships can help people to removed biases and improve how we interact with people of different backgrounds.
“Every day and Every Person is unique and special”.
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