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Retail Business Services – the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA – is celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month by shining a light on some of our great associates with Asian or Pacific Islander heritage. This week, meet Vicky Ge, Talent Management Specialist for Retail Business Services.

When Vicky Ge first moved to the U.S. in 2010 as a recent college graduate, she was full of optimism and anxiety.

“Everything was new,” she said. “I was like a child who moved to a completely different world. I remember the first week I didn’t want to go outside the house because I was afraid I’d get lost. It was a bit overwhelming for me.”

Boston was very different from her hometown of Suzhou, China, but Vicky was excited about her new life and opportunities. And she still remembers how odd it was when strangers greeted her on the street or struck up a conversation at the grocery store.

“That is completely opposite culturally to China,” she said. “I was happy about that, it made me feel very welcome. But when people made small talk, I didn’t know how to react or what to say! I really like how people were and are so friendly, even to people they don’t know.”

Vicky also remembers being surprised by the need to make an appointment to see a doctor in the U.S., given that in China, most medical offices are walk-in. She was also surprised to learn how, at birthday dinners, family and friends often cover the bill.

“In China, the person who is having the birthday pays for everyone. I think I prefer to celebrate my birthdays here,” she said with a laugh.

In 2013, she landed a job in Talent Acquisition with Ahold Delhaize USA, and she can still recall the apprehension she felt in her new role.

“I personally felt I had to work harder to prove I was as good as my coworkers,” she shared. “I worried because English is not my first language. When I did phone screening interviews, I was nervous and anxious. So, for the first two years with the company, I worked very hard because I wanted to show people that I could do a good job.”

Now, Vicky works as a Talent Management Specialist with Retail Business Services. She works out of the Quincy office in Massachusetts, and she and her husband, Chris Albrizio-Lee – they met in the U.S. – have two daughters, ages 3 and 6.

For Vicky and her husband, balancing different cultural influences in their household is important. Vicky is Chinese, and he is Korean but was adopted by a family of Italian descent.

“We want to prepare our daughters for the questions that they’re going to receive and teach them to celebrate all parts of their heritage,” she said. “In our family, we try to celebrate all the holidays – Chinese, Korean and American holidays.”

Vicky and her husband are often asked about their heritage, and while she’s always happy to answer questions, Vicky encourages those who are curious to do a little research, first.

“Sometimes when I am in the U.S. and I meet someone who is not Asian, I feel as if they are asking me to represent all Asians – but my experience is not representative of all people of Asian descent,” she said. “When people want to learn something about different countries in Asia or about China specifically, it’s important to consider that the size of China is almost the same as the size of the U.S. So, food, culture and dialects can be very, very different from one region to another. So, I can’t answer a question like, “What is the weather like in China?” I can only speak about the weather where I grew up.”

“I think people generalize when they don’t know much about a place – and that’s true of everyone! When I first moved to the U.S., my friends in China thought that people here only ate three kinds of food – pizza, pasta, and hamburgers,” she added with a laugh. “So, I encourage everyone to do a little research, and try to ask more specific questions to make sure you’re not generalizing a whole country or area.”  

When she first moved to the U.S., Vicky found herself generalizing, too.

“When I moved here, I thought all the issues China has didn’t exist in the US. But after living here for over 10 years, I feel the U.S. and China share a lot of issues, like homelessness and children without families,” she said. “I used to think the U.S. had the answers to everything, but now I realize that every country has its own struggles. I try not to have a pre-judgement – I just observe. This experience taught me that things are not always black or white. Often, they’re very, very complex.” 

Vicky still has family in China, and she visits often. A few years ago, she went back for a school reunion, where a teacher pulled out a notebook that every student wrote their dreams in.

“When I looked at my page, I had written I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to go visit Paris and the U.S. – and I didn’t remember writing this at all,” she said. “It’s amazing that I’d forgotten about it, and now I’m living in the U.S. It’s kind of like it was fate.”

Keep an eye out for more associate features this month!