A woman, age 28

Her daughter, age 4

First arrival in China, 1998.

She came into China with a 45-year-old brother. The brother had already made contacts and had acquaintances in China. He is involved in the smuggling business and so could not stay with his sister.

She came to China because, for one thing, her family is listed as part of North Korea's "hostile" class. This is among the lowest of the already low groups of people it has pleased the North Korean government to create. Those most loyal all the way to those most hostile all have a group of their own, scores of different classes in all.

She was faced with three choices. 1) go to South Korea. 2) Marry a (Korean-)Chinese man. 3) Take care of an old person. She was afraid of endangering her North Korea family by a move south. She opted for marriage.

As a younger woman she was doing all right, but as she matured she desired more freedom than she was being offered. She was especially interested in becoming a teacher in China, but this door would be hard to crack open. She had actually done some teaching in her homeland and had learned some about the outside world.

At the time of the interview she expressed a certain amount of satisfaction about her life, especially in comparison to how it could have been in North Korea. She often wishes she had gone to South Korea. The last thing she did before the interview was have her mother brought to China with her. This was in 2003.

But her mother was arrested. And deported. And life goes on.

Another object of prayer. This is a real person, but she is symbolic of many more in the same shape. Alienated from their homeland, separated from family members, barely making a living, suppressing dreams of careers and normal home life...