Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

Jili Sun oral history

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Interview Audio: Interview Audio
Transcription: EvaAnne Johnson 00:01 All right. So today is May Monday, May 9, 2022. And this is the start of the interview with Jili Sun at the Wilmette Public Library in Wilmette, Illinois. My name is EvaAnne Johnson and I'll be the interviewer. Today Jili and I are going to discuss her experience living in Wilmette and the multicultural history of Wilmette. So first of all, tell me about your life before coming to Wilmette. Like where you grew up, where you went to school, how you started your adult life. Jili Sun 00:42 Okay, so I am Chinese. So I was born in China in Canton. So when I was five years old, I moved to Wuhan, another city, in the center of China. I spent 10 years over there, then went back to my hometown Canton with my parents. We actually moved there because of their work. So I finished my high school there then went to college in Canton. After four years. I graduated and took a job as a translator and assistant in our company. And two years later, I decided to pursue a higher degree. So I went to France to graduate school. I spent seven years and half in Paris. After I got my PhD degree I, I'm also married at that time, so I found a job at Northwestern University. Now I'm teaching Chinese at Northwestern University. And we spent three years in Chicago area. We lived there. But then my husband and I think that in the future, if we have kids probably it's better to move to the suburbs. So we look for residence for one year around the suburbs. So we found a house in Wilmette which, which please us both so our son was born in this area. Now he is a third grader in Wilmette public school. So that is all about me. EvaAnne Johnson 02:21 So what year was it that you came to Wilmette and moved here? Jili Sun 02:25 2009 EvaAnne Johnson 02:27 Okay. So you've been here 13 years or so? Jili Sun 02:31 Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 02:32 Good. And what was it in particular that made you decide to move to Wilmette? You mentioned a nice house but was there anything else that drew you [editors note: Jili notes "to Wilmette" then EvaAnne continues] to look here? Jili Sun 02:45 We, when we circled around the suburb we found that Wilmette is an area not only have good residents area, but also has a history. We found the first one we drove around we saw Indian woman's portrait on the road. And we looked at the history, it was a mixed marriage between an Indian woman, a tribal chief's daughter, with the Canadian businessman. So especially Francophone, Canadian Francophone businessman from the font family with a local Indian girl. I found this quite interesting because I moved to France for seven years and a half. So I have a particular affection, love towards French culture. And I found that America also try to create a society with multi multicultural cohabitations, collaborations, mutual respect, and I found this area represent part of our idea of living in this country and also it's very comfortable area, greenery and everywhere there are big trees. So my son loves look at the huge trees in this area. And sometimes when we walk on we saw 100 years or even 200 year old tree around the corner, then my son will think about a story in the forest. We, we knew that it came from a forest also. So it develop a lot over his imagination about, about the past of the area, and is a good, very good school also. So it's the first time that first year second year was a poem because of pandemic and veteran so he didn't really enjoy fully the school time, but I found the curricula quite good was because the teacher also sent back the homework and report. We receive a newsletter every week. So we found that school took good care of kids. And the way they educate kids is not to give a lot of homework, but also to make them interested to hear what they are learning, which is also my idea of education. So I thought this area is a combination of many good things. In my idea, so, so we made a good choice in moving here. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 05:38 So when you first came and you first moved to Wilmette, what were your first impressions of the community of the people here, once you started to become... Jili Sun 05:48 I found that that once we bought the house, then the, the neighbors came to, come to say hello, and then talk about the previous owner of the -- he already passed away but apparently he gave a good impression to the communities or everybody said, Oh, we are happy that we now have new neighbor you know we miss our neighbor a veteran. So I knew a little bit how it happened in my home in the house we just bought, it's not only a new building, it's not new, it's 100 year house. So there there is a history in in the house. And when I look at the video program, or the TV program about the history of this area, I found many residents did have a history, and many are preserved for its history. So living in a house with history is different from just the living in a newly built house, there's nothing behind. So I feel that I live also in communion with the spirit of the people who first came here. They build their small house, and then they enlarge it, they build their garden, and I saw a picture of my street one hundred years ago in the history museum, the gallery, they have one photo of that, that was a totally still to develop area, there are only one road and everywhere with a child to see what kind of home we can have. So we found living here is also to commemorate the, the history of this community so so our residents, so a lot of neighbor came to us saying don't destroy it and build a new house. We are not going to destroy it. Even we have a lot of restoration, a lot of things, the roof needs to be redone. But I think our neighbors in the end are correct. They think that since the it's part of the history of the street, and once we saw this house, we we also thought about a lot of other things which happened in this area. So it worth preserving it, restore it and live in it to live with the spirit of the people who lived here before. So we spend up about seven years to restore everything. It was not in a very good shape when we bought it. It's also because of that that price is relatively reasonable, not too expensive. So some people might think it's better value, destroying the other new house. But we see so we plan to leave there with a lot. We don't plan to make an investment or sell it and so we we prefer to live with the history of this area. EvaAnne Johnson 09:05 And when you were doing those restorations, did you look into the history of the house, it sounds like you did... Jili Sun 09:12 ...yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 09:12 ...and try to make it look similar style to how it did in the past. Jili Sun 09:17 Yes, yes. So sometimes we even found a stranger in a corner of the house. I don't know who asked that. Because it was in a small corner probably when the people moving or moving things are new, never thought clean up those corner. We found a very old style typewriter, almost like in the 30s. The Secretary worked with that. We found a very odd style gardening tools. So we still use it, but we still put it in an area where we can see it. So some of our guests saw that, my friend is oh you collected it, just a secret gift by our previous owner. So yeah, EvaAnne Johnson 10:06 That's cool. That's so cool. And if you don't mind me asking what street do you live on? What area? Jili Sun 10:15 Elmwood Avenue EvaAnne Johnson 10:16 Okay. Nice. Oh, how has Wilmette changed since you first moved here? Have you seen any big changes? Jili Sun 10:29 I think when we moved in our neighbors, their children began to grow up with went to college go to work. So they progressively move, move away and sell their house to younger couples. So no, so now we have almost 60 to 70% of our neighbors who are new comer who come after me. They have young kids. So the the old neighbors who welcome us come to the area, they all, most of them already left the area. So it's so fun. Yes we enjoy our new neighbor, because our kids, our son has a new little friends around the area. But I think it probably is part of American culture. When the kids grow up, they move back to a smaller space and then give the house to younger couples. So it's part of American lifestyle. So this is the biggest change. Otherwise, there are some buildings, which was built in a new or a new style. So they tear it down and build a new style, I'm sure inside is more comfortable. But they still try to build a house in accordance with street landscape. Not totally more than style stuff. So I think people who chose this area to live, also respect the history of the community. Yeah, yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 12:11 And then last, well, the last part ofthe section, what is your favorite part of living in Wilmette today? Jili Sun 12:20 I think it's the closeness to the nature, it we saw the forest. And we saw that Michigan lake, Wilmette, and also I think the kids enjoy it. And also I found there are more and more diversity in the community. So we were at the beginning, we didn't so much, many Asians in the area now we found our friends around the area. And I found it's friendly area. So I'm trying to be inclusive. But I also heard because of the price of the area not the the people live here they are mostly middle class or upper so we don't see many have to say that diversity in terms of economic status. So this part probably can be changed in the future. Because I think you're living in a community we it's good for everybody to know the life situation of diverse social status not only middle upper class and the kids for example, I teach at Northwestern I have different students. I students learn from each other for example, the middle upper students, they do have better how to say that time management skill. So they always turn in their homework on time, they always pay attention to what they should do before certain deadline. People from other area which might not be the middle upper class level, they have a lot of skill in adaptation of difficulties. For example, if there's something not happening as expected or something, they can always try to accommodate and try to strive or try to manage his life to achieve a long term goal without much protection and much help which the middle upper class kids might need to learn in the future because they are very supportive as a family, but in the future in the society, they also need to know a more complex environment, a more challenging situation, if they are always protected, they might not be able to develop their potential fully in a more difficult situation. But both, coming from different backgrounds, they both contribute to the community of Northwestern, we help our students to be at the same time very educated, but also have compassion towards people who are less lucky than themselves and then not only to help them but also learn from them, which I think Wilmette needs to also diversity help the middle upper class to educate their kids and to enlarge their life circle. So this is something I would wish in future. Yeah. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 16:12 Good. So now let's talk a little bit about the diversity that you just brought up in the multicultural community here. So how would you describe the multicultural makeup of the community today? Jili Sun 16:28 I think email nowadays for me, I first found some friends with immigration reform. Through my son, they found that the little friends, their parents are also Chinese, or Korean, or Indian or other cultures. This is the first part of our connection. The second part, I think, people coming from different culture, they also tried to connect with ourselves with the Association, there is an international club in Wilmette. So they organize activities twice per month. So each time they welcome everybody just a drink a tea together, or bring some cookies that you bake. Or if there's a German festival, or German host will host the same style festival in their house. So this is the makeup of the multi culture community. I think in in school, I think the first my son, he was the only Asian, so he was quite... before coming to Wilmette public school, we send him to Asian-based kindergarten. So he didn't feel he is much different from others. And once he was in Wilmette, he was the first the only one in the class. So at first we found that he became more reserved, and he did not ask too much question in class. And we speak Chinese at home. So he didn't talk, sometimes he didn't totally understood, understood the question, and then I'll ask you, so there was some consequence in the result of his homework. And so I did talk with the teacher and telling them that since we speak Chinese at home, would you please make sure check in to see if he understood the question. Sometimes he does that they're not fake. He did not understand. So the teachers try to accommodate that also. So I found it, something that we learn the difficulty that my son face I didn't imagine in advance, but we should be more observing to see how we can help him to grow up in a healthy way in also tell his peers that in America, there are not only Caucasian immigrants and we are sitting in Indian land also. So they used to be the owner of this land. So so the teacher began to introduce some kind of mini program about immigration history. And what is the inclusive society so from very young age, if we educate kids like that, they will not grow up to become a racist that become very narrow minded person, so of course young kids, sometimes they can love scheme that really sounds...We should try to put them on to the good tag that when they were still young, not when they are already grown up. So I think the school is conscious about that. And that as parents, we also try to protect our kids and also help the school, the institution, to understand that it's not only our personal interest, it's also for because by all means, when they grow up they will have to work and collaborate with diversity, diverse community or race. So it would be better to educate them from the beginning to be respectful, to be inclusive. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 20:50 Yeah, yeah. So let's go back to what you had mentioned before with our change in Antoine Ouilmette the French fur trader and the Native American woman whose, who were some of the first permanent settlers here. And of course, Wilmette is named after them. Jili Sun 21:16 Yes. EvaAnne Johnson 21:16 So you know, you had you had mentioned that you saw a portrait of her. Do you see any of the multicultural origins? Do you see them still present in the village today, so it's kind of those French and Native American origins have they come to the present. Jili Sun 21:38 I saw mainly the French market thing Wilmette Plaza is part of I think we name it French market. I don't know how this name can might be because of a French businessman, the husband love French Canadian, but he Francophone origin. The Native American, I saw the portrait, but I would say that their culture already kind of diluted. In so many cultures and so many new cars, we can see only from the history museum, their history. And for the example in our university, a lot of faculty sent out a message with the signature of not at the university's location is sitting on the southern southern Indian tribes, territories. So it's a way to recognize that we are also guests of this land. So I receive a lot of email like that. So each time I receive my colleagues' email, when I saw the signature, I also saw the origin of this area, not only of Wilmette also Evanston, and a lot of other small communities here they used to be living place of Indian tribes. And for French culture, we have a French bakery store in the managed by I think by the nuns, Catholic nuns, it's called [St] Roger Bakery. So the the staff working there, they speak French, of course, they can speak English, you can clearly hear from that accent they are all from Francophone area countries. So since I speak French, so I talk with them in French, and they are very happy to hear that. And I went to French market frequently buy things, I think the French market here is already quite different from the real market in France. But the fact of having the name and having the the French in the name and the fact that people brought what they grow in their own garden. Their handmade stuff. And the artist and brought the album books and sing and play that is still quite similar to France. What they do in the plaza, you know, we can there are a lot of small things like that. So even the product is very diverse. It's not only from France. But still the atmosphere is very, like homestyle. Another businessman, I'm just your neighbor, I tell you what I grow. So this is the spirit of the French market, where I often visited when I was in France. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 25:07 So my next question was about those French connections. Do you see any other French influences in the community besides the market and the bakery? Anything interesting. Jili Sun 25:22 There's a French school to the just on the Green Bay Road. I saw that there. But I haven't stopped in yet. So I saw sometimes in certain residents, they hang up French national flag. I don't know what it might be the house owner is a French couple. Or, and I saw a lot of not only in Wilmette, but in this area, there are quite a lot ;andmark named after French celebrity, for example, ...Richelieu, it's a famous French politician. And then many names are actually original from France. EvaAnne Johnson 26:12 I didn't realize that, but I guess so. Yeah. Jili Sun 26:15 Yeah. Might be the first settlers there are many Francophone. So they named their street, their buildings, for the French famous people. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 26:32 So earlier, you had mentioned the international club that's in Wilmette. How, how do you participate in the club, have you been able to host and share some of your culture with the club. Jili Sun 26:49 They usually do not really, we do not really have a very formal lecture or something, they just, for example, there is a festival bring something of your home country, some plants or some flowers, or anything representing your origin to the gathering. So everybody introduced a little bit, why I brought this and how I learned to make it. And it's a very casual way to introduce, it's very different from ..., for example, in university, you have a lecture on Chinese culture, Confucius, and philosophy, things we do have that in higher education, but in this kind of smaller Association, I enjoy very much because we can talk about our home in a more accessible and very family style way, which I think is how to say -- bring more people more comfortable to talk about it. Because not everybody needs to read, read 10 books of Confucius before talking to you, but the spirit of Confucius is actually quite present in our daily life, for filial piety, importance of the family and pay attention to your kids education, those are all Confucius teaching, but we might not know from which chapter of that book it was quoted. But we know we transmitted from our parents, from our grandparents, that is, many people approach the culture like that, not only in an academic way, but also so very daily life practice. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 28:51 And so within your family, you mentioned some of those values that that come from your culture and from your parents. Are there any traditions that you have in your family that you're also able to share? Well, just in your family, but also things that you share with your neighbors or with the International Club, any special tradition. Jili Sun 29:14 The first thing is the food. I think the food for Chinese people is not only about cooking skill, it's also an opportunity to offer family gathering. So make making for example dumplings. You're usually the whole family work together. And as this side cooking hot water boiling the other part begin to eat you don't wait until everything ready because you need to eat them quite hot. So you have to boil one part or the other part serve the guest than when they were eating you boil another part so, this is something that I haven't tried but I would love to try it with my friends in the International Club. Because there are certain cooking traditions is that the chef made everything perfect presentation and so view on table. This is also very beautiful because I enjoy it in that we have our exposition of cooking so they are so beautiful, [there's some fun] we didn't participate even part of doing it. In China we everybody trying to do it and share it. So that might need some space to do that, it's a little bit challenging in my house, in my home which is not a huge house neither so but I would love to begin from like three person in a small group and now they cannot and so so I would love to try that. And one part of American life is that everybody have their own --this is my perception, you can correct me if I'm wrong -- everybody has his own home that is life, my castle, I don't break in other people's home or their family business without permission. That is very good, because it's respect each individual's life choice, but at the same time sometimes if we are too comfortable in my home, in my only limited in your home they you might hesitate to reach out to other people might have different lifestyle but interesting. So I lived several years in Wilmette the first step as my home, I enjoy my quiet lifestyle, I enjoy my my life with my family. But after the kids go to school, and they he brought other kids parents to us, which I found that oh if I knew it is so interesting, I would begin it earlier before the kids have liked us to do so. So I think in China is the opposite everybody knows each other sometimes it can be very much oppressing because they are you once you do something you have one thousand comments we try to find a balance between these two last time because I live also join a Chinese community before is this kind of too many voices around you, wants you to do you think right to do which is quite pressure. much stress because you cannot do every everybody's satisfaction that Wilmette when we first moved to Wilmette. Oh, I really enjoy my quiet, my free time. But after that I found that we should find out good balance. The kids brothers, these other parents, they are sometimes not necessarily American either. They are sometimes British, Mexican, and American. So everybody has a different life. But since we are so different, so we learn to observe what's the limit of other family, to which extent we can decide to which extent we should close and distant enough in order not to, not to disturb, disturb other people's life, but also keep a friendship. This is something that we learn in an international community because in a Chinese community, everybody will think I didn't comment into how you educate your kids. I didn't comment into your couple [? word indecipherable]..., it's normal, but in other culture might not be polite to so. So if you live in a multicultural community sometimes, I think, at least for me, I learned much more than living in mono culture, community even in my own home culture. I have the impression that I only try to obey the rules in a mono cultural community instead really reflect upon why there are those rules. But if we live in a multicultural community, we think that Oh, that are different rules why they are this we try to be, try to understand the logic behind that, and should decide if we should behave in certain or certain way, and not create a misunderstanding not to disrespect by, by mistake. Nobody tried to do it intentionally. But we have a lot of very subtle skill we can learn from ..., culture and community. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 35:35 And what, what benefits do you think your son will have growing up in this multicultural community? You mentioned earlier about the schools supporting students learning these kinds of skills. But what other kinds of benefits do you see that he will have growing up in this community? Jili Sun 35:54 I think it's also he can see his friends just across the street that went say hi and go to play with it without any concern. It's pretty safe this area. And also, I think the kids there, they get to know each other quickly, and they don't really have much conflict of making friends with each other. So I think that is a good thing that he can receive from growing up in this community, we are lucky we don't have unsafe campus, where we have gun violence, we have drugs- might have but guns, might not. But drugs. I heard about that. But I think the parents of the school usually wish - how to say that - wish their kids to grow up in healthy way. So they do pay attention to their education, this kind of thing can influence the community, because I also have some colleagues in U of Chicago. Then they said - U of Chicago is quite academic area, but just outside their area there are a lot of gun violence and two international students, Chinese ..., were killed in the past the year, just by accident they assumed in the daytime, they just went out to buy something, then they were shot by the street gun fire. So this kind of thing we never really need to worry about in Wilmette. So I think the safety and attention to kids education. But also I don't want my son to be totally ignorant of how it was how life is, for example, in the south, in the south side of Chicago. And why there are so manygun violence and I heard my colleague saying something which really, really hurt my heart. He said he he saw a group of kids from range from five to 10. They just passed by still say hello to them. And the next five minutes they tried steal something from her neighbor and the neighbor were trying to find the kids from five to 10 I could hardly imagine they said that sometimes as a kid of seven can follow his brother of 14 to choose use guns to threaten the passengers. So I was - how to say that - they said it's not their fault. They are still kids. But if the family circle, nobody in the family go to school, nobody in the family go to a normal work, nobody encourage academic success then the kids really don't really have a good reference in his early stage. I do feel lucky that my son can grow up in Wilmette but I do hope that the situation other area can change I hope that Wilmette for example this goes to tray can also help people in that area to to transmit or know how to say positive things to kids who are still white and prefer to receive what they sow. So I do feel that Hmm, our kids are lucky so I hope it's not just a small circle isolated everywhere in America who are lucky and do not care for others who are unlucky. So I hope that we can grow together, we hope that the community can help others to build up the same kind of attention to kids, to their education, to their growth, in other place where there are less resources, potential or condition to build that. EvaAnne Johnson 40:37 Um, so I think we're kind of wrapping up, but I do have a few questions about the last few years during COVID 19. Before you had mentioned, you know, everyone is in their own house isolated, but gradually go out into community. Well, during COVID, we were all isolated back in our house again, yeah, what, what was your experience during the past few years during the pandemic, like early, early pandemic, to now, Jili Sun 41:13 I think at first, I haven't many difficulties. To adjust the, for example, the teaching or the totally online, I didn't know all the skill to do that. And to meeting people on screen this exchange to me is some people can turn off the camera, and then they don't listen to you, you can't do nothing. So, so I try to. So I walked through a quite difficult period. First of all the stress to learn all the technology, we do have a very short time to learn that but luckily, the Northwestern provide a lot of assistance help to teach you quickly. And if you have a problem, then you can report it and then to try to think of a strategy to help not only you but the whole community, I think Northwestern University has developed crisis respond response system, to that, which helped us to to go through the first is not too difficult six months. And after that is more or less isolation. You don't see your friends, it's not about worker you don't know how to teach. I think that part I tried to come handle it by growing other home staying hobbies before I don't to try to do a lot. If I don't cook much. Now I do a lot. I even don't know how to use all the baking tools. And then I now I know how to make 10 kinds of cookies, which my son Oh, because we can even mosque to share with. So I think the pandemic is unfortunate, everybody suffers from that. But in our home we are lucky again in Wilmette, we have a small garden where we can develop other hobbies. But I do know in cities, those who live in a small room without friends without any connection can drive people crazy. We still have family here my husband sister is in the area. So So even after we can still come back frequently each other to get news to see how things going. But I really have pity on those who do not have friends who do not have members who they can call or knock at the door who cannot go to workspace. Nobody and it can really drive people crazy. So for us it's difficult but it's tolerable because of all our good conditions. But many students, they did have a very difficult life. So I tried to be more accommodating. For example in homework that night in grading I more tolerant I try not because if they cannot finish because of certain condition I will not blame them. It's 100 year once when every 100 We are just the in it. So So still I think the nature helps the plants help and the family around also help and neighbors sometimes check in exchange information that helps also and school also help. So I think everybody is up to the nerve to try to not only those words and myself, but also try to understand others. What's their need, what I can do for them. I think that was a good reaching to the other side of the river, which we are now in. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 45:35 Yeah. And now, I mean, we're past the two year mark, it seems like a lot of places are getting back to normal Jili Sun 45:43 Yes. EvaAnne Johnson 45:45 In your job, and in your son's school are things getting back to normal now or... Jili Sun 45:52 Yes, in Northwestern, we are in person teaching now. My son school, they really did a big effort to only keep the online teaching for one quarter. So all the others during this two years, there's only one quarter, we really don't know what to do in online. So we did have some challenge the cases, the guys at Northwestern in the first week, we take away the mask mandate, and then we put it back then we move away again. So there are swings like that. But everybody understand that we are just in our trial period, where everything is unsure, it's not so stable, or sure. I think this also, there are the bad side, because they're also always the risk of the pandemic coming back again. But on the other hand, it also taught us that we are not in an isolated bubble, because it's the tendency of many researchers, they just the topic, don't want to think or connect with other sphere of the life. But the pandemic kind of force everybody to go back to the the real effects. There are people who are sick or might not your research might not be the first priority of the whole globe. So there's something happening, I think, in the school, which can draw back a lot of very focused a scientist or researcher back to normal life track, which we desperately need. Even in normal lifestyle. I think it's healthy for them. It's healthy for me, it's healthy for them. So there are other things to take care of. And I have a family member who works in hospital, she's told me she worked as nurse, intern nurse in different units of the hospital. What she told me, I found quite appealing to me, what she likes, is the emergency room. Are you ready? So usually, we think these very serious, terrible things. But what she said is in the emergency room, because the threat of eye of death is so present. So all the doctors or the technicians or the nurse, they learn, they work as a true team. They help each other. They don't try to calculate my interest. And what's the policy and then of course, we'd have to think about the past year that trap us all those are secondary, comparing with the risk of someone who's dying in front of you. So the pandemic also created this kind of emergency rooms spirit, which is life is moving. And your small nicholas both research topic, your honor, your promotion, this kind of thing. I think we have to learn so many circumstances, not only in the pandemic, but also try to extend to other fell off your life. There are many things that the nature put to priority, which is probably more important than your career putting in priority. So that is what I learn from these two very difficult years. I think that the school of my son, the Central School, Northwestern University and our neighbors, they all learned from this incident. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 50:03 Yeah. And we've all made it through together somehow. Jili Sun 50:07 Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 50:11 I think that is all that I had. Is there anything else you wanted to share with us - any stories that we missed or anything else you wanted to say? Jili Sun 50:21 I would like to share one story I learned from a news from, about this community, there was a secret photographer whose name is Vivian Maier. And I saw her photos and biography which I really stopped me to, I think that's, that's the true spirit of an artist. They worked their the whole life as a nanny in Wilmette but it's just spirit, the essential artist. So even he didn't see her achievement before her death. But we all commemorate her for the community, for the, for the true artistic spirit. So I always use her example, in my class. Because we have a chapter talking about street clothes, and those pop culture things. I always show Vivian Maier's photographer. So I always told my students, we sometimes think art is a privilege, only very rich people with a lot of condition you can do it really only under this condition, you can do it. But everybody actually is an artist, as far as you know, how to develop your talent, how to stay, how to continue with perseverance, and you have a true sense of aesthetic, and try to grow it. And also try to live your true life. For example, She has a very good relation with the kids she took care of her wish she'd never had a family. But her kids always remember her and always visited her when she was very old and neat, they're no longer able to work. So it's kind of parent as a normal parent, but like, it's not a purely business relationship. It's a true love between the caregiver and the kid. So I also told my students, true spirit of arts come from healer relationship. You cannot just create in your, in your brain he was in she was inspired by the people in the street, their life by the kids, she gave care from a lot of life experiences not not not only the warm memories that are harsh experiences, or those can become a source of art. And try to express it is perhaps a lifelong journey that you can you can walk through which can make your life rich and interesting to you and to others. It's like the mini Vivian Maier's biography. Yeah. EvaAnne Johnson 53:20 Yeah. Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting. And it's interesting you share that with your students too. So they can, you can start to understand those things. Jili Sun 53:31 They can try to visit the area. I always told them that she worked just 10 minutes drive from here. I tried to find her house actually, but I didn't really saw in the record, I might need to go to the history museum to find where's the house key she used to work. So the students can also explore a little bit more of the last show. Is that a stain? On yours? Yeah, EvaAnne Johnson 54:02 Thanks. Anything else you wanted to add? Jili Sun 54:06 I think that's all. EvaAnne Johnson 54:07 Okay. Jili Sun 54:08 I'm very grateful to the Wilmette community. And I'm quite happy to live here. EvaAnne Johnson 54:14 Yeah. Well, we're happy to have you here. And thank you so much for sharing your story with us and contributing to our oral history projects. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you so much.
Creators: Sun, Jili, Interviewee; Johnson, EvaAnne
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Text
Item Type: Sound recordings
Description: Interview with Jili Sun by EvaAnne Johnson in Wilmette, Illinois, on May 9, 2022.

Jili Sun describes her experience moving to Wilmette as a Chinese-American, including purchasing and restoring a 100-year old house on Elmwood Ave. She discusses the multicultural aspects of Wilmette and other cultural activities, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and her admiration of Vivian Maier.
Place of Publication: Wilmette, Illinois
Date of Original: 9 May 2022
Playing Time: 54:30
Subject(s): Oral histories
Wilmette (Ill.)--History
Wilmette (Ill.) -- Residents
Personal Name(s): Sun, Jili ; Ouilmette, Antoinne ; Maier, Vivian
Language of Item: English
Copyright Statement: Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Date: 2022
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Historical Museum and Wilmette Public Library
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
Email:refdesk@wilmettelibrary.info
Website:
https://www.wilmettelibrary.info/

Agency street/mail address:
1242 Wilmette Avenue
Wilmette, IL
60091-2558
U.S.A. Phone: 847-256-6930

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