Ya Ming Lin (left) and Ngai Mli Him (right) met five years ago at the local senior center. Even though Ya, 66, claims that her skills are mediocre, her current favorite activity is playing mahjong at her local parlor. She immigrated with her late son from Fuzhou, China to the New York in 1996, joining her parents and sisters, who had moved to the U.S. first. Ya’s family’s presence greatly impacted her acclimation to her new life. She worked at her brother’s delivery company as the package manager for 15 years, until she became handicapped. Today, her sisters and mother visit her bi-weekly to play a game of mahjong.

Ngai Mli Him, 73, is from Fuzhou, China. From her childhood until now, she has never stopped working. Ngai worked on her parents’ farm in Fuzhou, swiftly becoming a working adult, and becoming the caretaker of her grandchildren. As a child, Ngai loved to read when she didn’t work on the farm. She came to New York in 1992, bringing her husband and children with her. Her current favorite activity is to go to the local senior center and play mahjong with Ya Ming Lin.