美国国家公共电台 NPR--An independent entrepreneur adjusts to the rules of life with her parents

An independent entrepreneur¹ adjusts to the rules of life with her parents

Transcript²

28-year-old Monica Lee used to work for a PR firm in China, now she's an entrepreneur in St. Louis and has had to readjust to life with her Korean American extended family.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We've been doing this short series about how the pandemic has forced some young people to move back in with their parents. Today, NPR's Claire Murashima has the story about a Korean American entrepreneur in St. Louis, Mo., trying to deal with the rules of living at home again.

CLAIRE MURASHIMA, BYLINE³: Monica Lee is 28 and lives with her sister, parents and 97-year-old grandmother. Things aren't always easy.

MONICA LEE: It's definitely tough with the generational clashes⁴, with the language and cultural barriers as well.

MURASHIMA: Before the pandemic, she worked a PR job in China.

LEE: I mean, it was very corporate⁵ - you know, going into the office every day, long hours, good pay. I had roommates. You know, I would meal-prep by myself.

MURASHIMA: Now she lives at home and runs the Korean dessert cafe she opened earlier this year. She makes bubble tea and sweets inspired by her travels in Asia. Her favorite - bingsu, a shaved ice dessert topped with things like chocolate, fruit and sweetened condensed milk. Things are working out.

LEE: Out of our bingsu, I say our strawberry mango for right now.

You know, how could I not bring work home with me when I just started a cafe?

MURASHIMA: She has 12 employees, but at home, Monica says things feel a lot like they did when she was a teenager.

LEE: On my way out the door, I had to let my parents know where I'm going and then answer all their questions of, who are you meeting? What time will you be home? And then if I just said, I don't know, it's not an acceptable⁶ answer to them.

MURASHIMA: Many millennials and zoomers were living on their own before the pandemic, but almost a third of them moved back home after it hit. Two-thirds of those are still there and still trying to strike a balance between child and roommate.

LEE: I don't feel comfortable dating as much right now because of that lack of privacy⁷.

MURASHIMA: Natasha Pilkauskas teaches public policy at the University of Michigan.

NATASHA PILKAUSKAS: Another thing that also explains part of the increase is that marriage rates have declined⁸.

MURASHIMA: Pilkauskas says that nonwhite families are more likely to live with two or more generations under the same roof. And as the U.S. gets more diverse, multigenerational living will likely become more common. That squares with Monica's experience.

LEE: So I'm Korean American, and for a lot of Koreans, living at home up until you get married is super common, and it's not necessarily frowned upon. But, you know, I was born and raised in St Louis. And Americans - we tend to be a lot more independent. And myself personally, I am very independent because, you know, I moved across the world.

MURASHIMA: But starting a business means earning less, and that's meant adjusting to life without the independence and privacy she once enjoyed. Many of her employees are also young people who live with their parents.

LEE: My employees started just coming in to hang out in their free time, and I would remind them that they're not getting paid for the time they're there. And they say, yeah, we know. We just can't stay at home.

MURASHIMA: For Monica, it's a trade-off she's willing to make.

LEE: The money I'm saving is incredible⁹, especially with how expensive things are and have been. And I certainly couldn't have started a new business without this situation that I'm in.

All right. Your total's going to be 14.01.

MURASHIMA: So for now, she's not even thinking about buying a house. That's all in the future. She's just focused on making payroll¹⁰.

Claire Murashima, NPR News.

1 entrepreneur   

n.企业家，主办人

参考例句：

• The entrepreneur has become a news figure.这位企业家变成了新闻人物。
• The entrepreneur takes business risks in the hope of making a profit.企业家为追求利润而冒险。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 clashes   

冲突( clash的名词复数 )； 不协调； （两群人之间的）打斗

参考例句：

• Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators. 警方与示威者发生了冲突。
• Several policemen were injured in the clashes. 几名警察在冲突中受伤。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

7 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

8 declined   

v.辞谢，谢绝（邀请等）( decline的过去式和过去分词 )；（道路、物体等）下倾；（太阳）落下；（在品格、价值上）降低

参考例句：

• We asked her to come to our party, but she declined. 我们请她来参加我们的晚会，但是她谢绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He declined to charge his memory with so many details. 他不愿在脑中记这么多细枝末节。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

10 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。