Jun Jie Cao | 95

Jun Jie Cao moved to San Francisco 20 years ago to help care for his grandchildren. He has an infectious optimism and positive attitude and seems to embody the contentment of appreciating what you have and the present. He and his wife spend their time learning computers (which he first picked up with the pandemic and at the age of 95) and calligraphy. His wife makes several appearances, as well.

This interview is in Cantonese and the translation of the interview is below. Subtitles will be added to the video soon.

Interview date: 8/6/21

Interviewed by: Peter Poon

Referred by: Wanda Liu

Edited by True Medusa Pictures. Music by Soundology.

Translation of interview

by Linguaficient

Interviewer: Ok now we are going to start our video recording. First, can you tell me your Chinese name

Jun Jie Cao: My Chinese name starts with my surname Cao. My first name is Jun Jie. Cao Jun Jie.

Interviewer: Cao Jun Jie. Would like to ask you again, what’s your age now?

Jun Jie Cao:. I am 95 already

Interviewer: Wow, that’s awesome, 95! How’s your health?

Jun Jie Cao: My health is average. After I turned 70, I had gallbladder surgery. Oh yeah, it was cholecystectomy, and prostate surgery, and hernia surgery. I’m taking medications. My blood sugar, lipids, and pressure are pretty normal now. Only thing is that my back hurts, my legs hurt, and I feel weak. I use my walker for support when I walk. Besides that, there is no major problem. I would say I feel pretty good.

Interviewer: I certainly agree with that. You look alert and in good spirits…….

Jun Jie Cao: Speaking from my experience, here are a few things regarding longevity:

First, I don’t smoke. No cigarettes, no alcohol. Second, I am quite optimistic. If someone blamed me, I wouldn’t worry about it. If someone compliments me, I stay humble. I don’t get pessimistic over age-related illness. Just live happily every day. This is my second point.

Third, I take my medications regularly. It’s very important to do that. I also remember to sleep regularly, get up regularly, and eat regularly. I am not a picky eater, and I eat a variety of foods. Only eat to 80 % fullness, drink more water, and eat more fruits. This is the third point.

Fourth, do more activities. Do not sit for too long, that’s not good for the elderly. I insist on painting, doing calligraphy, singing, playing chess, taking a stroll, and doing some chores daily. These are the 4 main points.

Interviewer: Thank you for sharing your longevity secrets.

Jun Jie Cao: These are truly my own experiences.

Interviewer: Thanks for sharing. Like you mentioned briefly before, how would you describe yourself?

Jun Jie Cao: I think I am a neutral, middle of the road type. If someone has a lot to say to me, I will listen, and not argue or disapprove, I may respond in a few simple words only…. But I do like to join others for activities, like chess, singing.

Interviewer: Seems like you do have a lot of interests

Jun Jie Cao: Yeah, I am easy going

Interviewer: Right, you said you are an optimistic person; don’t like to fuss about trivial things.

Jun Jie Cao: Correct. It’s better not to get angry. Anger can harm your body.

Interviewer: How would your family and friends describe you?

Jun Jie Cao: Most of my friends said I am easy to get along with.

Interviewer: So, you are quite popular. When did you come to San Francisco and from where?

Jun Jie Cao: I came to San Francisco on Aug. 5, 1998, from Guangzhou. I came to help take care of my daughter’s little one. I taught at an elementary school in Guangzhou, China. I also worked as an office clerk. I studied to be a teacher, though I would say I didn’t have too much schooling.

Mrs. Cao: He took care of the grandchild until he graduated from college.

Interviewer: You were already in your 70s when you came to the States. That must not be easy.

Jun Jie Cao: I took my grandchild to school and picked him up, and I taught him Chinese.

Interviewer: Were you retired back in China at that time?

Jun Jie Cao: I was retired before I came to the U.S.

Interviewer: Ok. Your grandkids must be all grown up now?

Jun Jie Cao: Yes, they are college graduates. One of my grandkids works as a nurse at the SF General Hospital.

Interviewer: Both?

Jun Jie Cao: My daughter’s son is a nurse. My son’s daughter is going to college in L.A. She is studying to be a veterinarian.

Interviewer: Wow! Both of your grandkids are so smart!

Jun Jie Cao: My wife is a nurse, my daughter is a nurse, and my grandson is also a nurse. Three generations of nurses!

Interviewer: Family of medicine! When you first came to live in San Francisco, did you have difficulty adjusting in the beginning?

Jun Jie Cao: I didn’t have any problems adjusting. I can adapt to any environment wherever I go. San Francisco’s nice weather made it easy; there are many Chinese who speak Cantonese, Mandarin here. I got used to living here very fast and everything seemed fine.

Interviewer: After living here over 20 years, what do you enjoy about living in SF?

Jun Jie Cao: What’s good about San Francisco? Weather is good; lots of Chinese here, the markets I go to are close by.

Interviewer: You can continue. What else do you want to add?

Jun Jie Cao: I think the U.S is a rather fine place for seniors. I would sum it up by saying old folks feel valued and useful and capable. SSI helps us with living expenses. There are places where you can pick up free groceries.

Medical care for old folks. There are no cost doctor’s visits and low-cost prescriptions. Healthcare for old folks. There are In Home Supportive Services. Learning for old folks. English classes, singing classes, and a variety of classes you can take free of charge. With these services, we can enjoy and feel happy; I call it old and happy. The government is taking pretty good care of us and I am grateful.

Interviewer: Well said. You are so well prepared for this interview.

Jun Jie Cao: Oh, I did a little preparation. I understand your time is precious.

Interviewer: Thank you. Just now you stated that the U.S. government treats seniors well with good benefits, but is there anything that needs improvement? What can San Francisco do to make your life even better and more comfortable?

Jun Jie Cao: The fly in the ointment is all the shootings, racial discrimination, and people getting beaten up on the street. Chinese are considered less than second class citizens. I mean not even one class below. The whites look down on the Blacks, and the Blacks look down on us Chinese. They would beat us up and shout insults at us. I hope we can remedy this situation.

Interviewer: You are very insightful. Now let’s talk about the pandemic. When we are not sheltering-in-place, where are your favorite places to go?

Jun Jie Cao: I have been to a few places. I like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Alaska, and Canada. Also a few tourist attractions in San Francisco where my daughter took me.

Interviewer: You sure have traveled extensively. I haven’t even been to Alaska myself.

Jun Jie Cao: You haven’t?

Interviewer: Does the pandemic affect you at all since everyone has to stay home and can’t go out like they used to?

Jun Jie Cao: It doesn’t affect me too much. When I stay home, I can paint, write calligraphy, and sometimes sing. I wouldn’t say I am lonely.

Interviewer: How about your wife? Does she also draw, sing, and do calligraphy like you?

Jun Jie Cao: My wife can’t really sing now because of her vocal cord issues. She used to sing a lot though when she was young, maybe she sang too much

Interviewer: Oh, your wife used to sing a lot?

Jun Jie Cao: But she does like to paint. I started painting after my retirement. I took classes in a senior center in Guangzhou. I need to practice more since I am a late starter.

Interviewer: Oh, so you started after you retired. I see some nice paintings behind you, are those your work of art? Those hanging on the wall.

Jun Jie Cao: Yes yes yes.

Interviewer: You did a beautiful job!

Jun Jie Cao: A few are done by the wife, some by me. They are okay. I try to paint whenever I am free. I buy art books for reference.

Interviewer: You are very talented. The computer teacher Ms. Liu emailed a few of your paintings to show us. They are wonderful and everyone agreed. What did a typical day look like for you before the pandemic?

Jun Jie Cao: Paint, do calligraphy, and household chores. I took an English class organized by my apartment community. There’s a singing teacher and I also took that class. I joined the group meeting. The apartment hosted bingo too. Many activities.

Interviewer: Are there any changes to these activities after the pandemic? Like fewer classes?

Jun Jie Cao: I am getting older now, I don’t do as much as I used to, including painting.

Interviewer: Do they still have those group meetings:

Jun Jie Cao: No more. Not since the pandemic. We used to meet every week to play bingo, chess, to learn English, and sing. Now everything has stopped.

Interviewer: All stopped?

Jun Jie Cao: Yes, all the activities from the apartment have stopped.

Interviewer: That means there’s nothing for you folks to do?

Jun Jie Cao: Right. No activity so everyone is just stuck at home.

Interviewer: Are you bored?

Jun Jie Cao: Not really.

Interviewer: Are you close to your neighbors?

Jun Jie Cao: Yeah, I know them pretty well. They are Chinese.

Interviewer: Do you visit with each other?

Jun Jie Cao: We don’t talk right now because of the pandemic, we seldom step out, afraid to infect each other.

Interviewer: Can you tell me what you are looking forward to? Something you are looking forward to doing after the pandemic is over?

Jun Jie Cao: I am very confident that this pandemic situation will be resolved. Our science is so advanced in the US; I believe our doctors will think of ways to tackle this problem. Professors in the science and medical fields all over the world must be able to solve this problem together. I have confidence in them.

Interviewer: Again, what would you like to do after the pandemic is over?

Jun Jie Cao: If the apartment complex restarts their activities, I will certainly participate. I will continue.

Interviewer: You like those activities a lot. If you could give advice to younger people, what would it be? You have so much life experience.

Jun Jie Cao: My kids are doing well, and I don’t need to worry about them. Like the saying goes, the student becomes the master. They are smarter than me, so much smarter. My daughter and grandkids all went to college; they are much smarter than me.

Interviewer: Any life experience you would like to tell your grandkids?

Jun Jie Cao: Yes, we chat every day. Since I paint, my grandkids like to paint, and my daughter too. Also, my son, and oh my granddaughter she loves to paint too. (Interviewer: Wow, your whole family is talented artists). My wife was educated in medicine, and so they want to learn medicine too. Maybe they are influenced by us.

Interviewer: Hmm, so since you have accumulated so much experience, is there anything you want to share with them? Maybe give them some tips and pointers to live by?

Jun Jie Cao: We don’t need to tell them! They know more than we do. I don’t speak Cantonese very well; I am from Hunan.

Interviewer: Oh, it’s okay, I can understand you. Your Cantonese sounds clear to me.

Jun Jie Cao: I don’t speak very well. I did live in Guangzhou for a few decades.

Interviewer: I would like to ask you this question. What is your view on aging?

Jun Jie Cao: Aging is the law of nature. All lives begin and come to an end. We are to be born and to die. I have no fear of dying. I arrived in bliss, and I will leave in bliss. That’s why I am not afraid. The more you are afraid, the sooner you will die.

Interviewer: You are very optimistic and open minded. Well, do you use computers and cell phones often? Are you familiar with technology?

Jun Jie Cao: I only learned how to use the computer recently. I started learning this May. I wasn’t interested in this computer stuff before.

Interviewer: Oh. How did you decide to learn?

Jun Jie Cao: So, I can chat with other people. I took Ms. Liu’s class, and we can sing along in front of the computer together. I bought my tablet in May.

Interviewer: You mean May this year?

Jun Jie Cao: Huh?

Interviewer: You began learning this May?

Jun Jie Cao: Yes, this May.

Interviewer: Hahaha…..

Jun Jie Cao: My wife has a tablet, but I didn’t feel like learning before.

Mrs. Cao: I told him to learn but he wouldn’t listen. Now he can do more than me.

Jun Jie Cao: Many thanks to Ms. Liu, our teacher, she teaches both my daughter and me.

Interviewer: This is a great story to tell! Jun Jie Cao didn’t learn how to use the computer until he was 95 years old. People will be astonished to hear that.

Jun Jie Cao: Yeah, I got my own tablet so I could start learning how to use it. It is not convenient to share my wife’s. It would be difficult to take turns to look at the screen. I didn’t listen to her when she says I need to.

Mrs. Cao: He wouldn’t learn even if I dragged him.

Interviewer: Why didn’t you want to learn then? And what made you change your mind?

Mrs.Cao: He needs to communicate with others.

Jun Jie Cao: Right, communicate with others

Mrs. Cao: And to connect with people inside and outside China and those in Hunan, his hometown……. it’s inconvenient for him…. (inaudible)

Jun Jie Cao: The next-door neighbors were talking about the classes Ms. Liu taught. So, I thought I do need to learn to use the computer in order to join the classes.

Interviewer: What an inspiration! No matter what your age is, you can always learn to use the computer.

Interviewer: I only have a few more questions for you. It wouldn’t take too much longer. You said you recently started learning how to use the computer this year. The computer helps you to communicate with more people?

Jun Jie Cao: Right.

Interviewer: Was it difficult to learn, and do you feel strange about it?

Jun Jie Cao: I wouldn’t say it’s easy to learn this at my age. But I think I know enough. Nowadays, I can have conversations with others, send texts, and can use computers to translate English into Chinese. I can watch television on the computer instead. I know how to do all that. I can also watch singing like Beijing opera, which I enjoy.

So now my life is quite enriched. I can watch some singing and the Beijing opera now. Our television is not working right. It only has one channel. We can’t receive signals from Sky Link or Channel 26. It’s hard to watch Chinese shows on TV. Now I can watch more via the computer.

Mrs. Cao [speaking in the background]

Jun Jie Cao: Now you can watch the computer to learn and to do things. For example, how to make bread, you can just watch and see how it’s done.

Interviewer: I am impressed. It only took you two months to learn so much. Amazing. What would you say are the major values or principles that you live by?

Jun Jie Cao: I don’t think I have any specific value. My life is quite simple.

Interviewer: Previously you said you are quite optimistic, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Perhaps these are your values in life. Has anything happened recently that made you happy?

Jun Jie Cao: What? Something not happy?

Interviewer: No. I mean something which made you very happy.

Jun Jie Cao: Oh. I hadn’t seen my granddaughter for over 2 years. She is going to college in L.A. She just came back for a visit, and that made me really happy. It has been over 2 years.

Interviewer: You haven’t seen her for more than 2 years. I see. Do you usually video chat with her?

Jun Jie Cao: Yes, we do keep in touch. But of course, it's better to see her in person.

Interviewer: Certainly. Does your granddaughter speak Chinese?

Jun Jie Cao: Huh? Yes. Yes, all my grandkids do.

Interviewer: Very nice. Do they speak Cantonese or Mandarin?

Jun Jie Cao: My granddaughter’s mom is from Teochew. So, she can speak Teochew, Cantonese, and Mandarin. My grandson knows Cantonese and Mandarin.

Interviewer: Your grandkids are fantastic. I know a lot of Chinese people growing up here who cannot speak the Chinese language. Some of them can hear and understand some, but not really speak.

Jun Jie Cao: Need to learn from the family.

Interviewer: What have you done lately that made you happy?

Jun Jie Cao: Nothing spectacular, just regular everyday stuff.

Interviewer: Ok. Sounds good. Have you done something for your family which made you feel good?

Jun Jie Cao: My wife has not been feeling well recently. Her spine and lumbar hurt, and she has dizzy spells and vomiting. I am happy to be able to take care of her when she is not well. Now her condition is slowly improving. That’s why she didn’t get to take the computer or singing class.

Interviewer: I see your wife walking around behind you. Is she feeling much better now? Hi Mrs. Cao, how are you feeling?

Mrs. Cao: I still have the dizziness. Once I opened my eyes…. Well, I have to close my eyes and lean on something then usually I can hang on for a while. Once I open my eyes, they will start watering and I feel confused and dazed.

Not interested in eating. Earlier I was throwing up, but now it has stopped after I took the anti-dizziness medicine.

Interviewer: Could it be Meniere’s Disease?

Mrs. Cao: More than a week ago, the doctor said it was Meniere’s, and he wanted to examine me. I said I would do it after my dizziness subsides a little. So, I haven’t had it checked out yet.

For me, I have compressed nerves from my cervical vertebrae down to my tailbone, the whole spine. Besides a herniated disk and bone spur, I also have a compressed nerve. It has been very rough on my body.

As I am talking to you, I feel fluid pooling underneath and around my eyes. I need to wipe my eyes with a tissue. I haven’t recovered fully yet since my last visit to the doctor. I am glad my hearing is still pretty sharp. I still manage to talk with my eyes closed even when I am feeling miserable. There was a time I couldn’t even talk without wanting to throw up. Right now the vomiting is at least under control.

Interviewer: Do you experience these symptoms occasionally?

Mrs. Cao: What did he say?

Interviewer: Like feeling sick and having pain, or throwing up? Do these happen once in a while?

Jun Jie Cao: Yes. It happened before. One time she had to be hospitalized. It was a few years ago.

Mrs. Cao: Last time I had a GI issue, throwing up and diarrhea, but this time it could be associated with the brain and the imbalance of fluid in the inner ear. That can possibly be the cause.

Interviewer: My mom had Meniere’s disease before. (Jun Jie Cao: She is from NanHai) She had dizzy spells for a few days and felt like throwing the whole time.

Mrs. Cao: I told the doctor I will have him examine me after I feel a bit better. It will be hard to get examined when my head is spinning and not feeling well.

Interviewer: What is your age?

Jun Jie Cao: She is 86. I’m older than her by 7 to 8 years.

Interviewer: You look very spirited, despite your discomfort and health issues

Mrs. Cao: I felt better the last two days; I can eat a little without throwing up. I do have some aversion to eating, but not to the point of not eating at all.

Interviewer: I understand. We need to take good care of ourselves.

Mrs. Cao: I think my symptoms started way before. Before I came here and before I retired. I was in China, working the night shift until the wee hours, I felt so dizzy, so I rushed to where the on-duty staff’s lounge bed was. When I woke up, I was soaking wet in my uniform. Like a cold sweat. Fortunately, no patient rang their bells for attention, if not, I wouldn’t have been able to get up and tend to them. I plopped down beside the bed, with my back leaning on the hard edge! I passed out, and my clothes became soaked.

Interviewer: That was how it happened. Please take good care of yourself. I realize health is very important.

Mrs. Cao: Thank you. I have felt better these last two days. Except that I still have that drowsy feeling, and I don’t feel as agile. Thank goodness I don’t have trouble talking, and my ears are fine.

Interviewer: Right. I see you are pretty alert. Now I have one last question to ask you. Is there any turning point in your life?

Jun Jie Cao: What?

Interviewer: Turning point?

Mr. and Mrs. Cao: Turn what? Huh??

Interviewer: Turning point moment. Or I should say do you have any defining moments in your life?

Jun Jie Cao: Deep impression? Primarily, when we brought up and raised our kids to do better than us. This brings me the most joy. We won’t have to worry about them.

Interviewer: What about you Mrs. Cao? Oh, never mind, I see her leaving.

Jun Jie Cao: Mrs. Cao went to answer the door. It must be my IHSS caregiver.

Interviewer: You have two children? Are they both in SF?

Jun Jie Cao: My son is in Guangzhou, by himself. My daughter-in-law is in L.A with her daughter. My daughter and my grandson are in the U.S. Yes, they live in San Francisco.

Interviewer: Are there any other memorable events?

Jun Jie Cao: Not really. I am happy as long as the kids are well-behaved.

Interviewer: How about you Mrs. Cao? Anything that is memorable to you in your life?

Mrs. Cao: My mind has felt muddled lately; I may not be able to express myself clearly at this moment.

Jun Jie Cao: Her memory is on the decline.

Mrs. Cao: My MRI revealed I have dementia. There are things I don’t remember. Before I retired, little symptoms had already started to appear. Do you recall earlier I was telling you how I got soaking wet while at work and I forgot about my patients?

Interviewer: Maybe you worked too hard when you were a nurse

Jun Jie Cao: Yeah, that’s right.

Interviewer: Our interview today will end here. Jun Jie Cao and Mrs. Cao Thank you.