"How come you don't speak any Chinese?"
It is the third time one of my relatives has asked this question over the dinner table, and I struggle to come up with a tangible answer. How do I tell them that in third grade, I didn't want to speak Chinese. In lieu of signing up for Chinese classes, I had instead enrolled in a French class like most of my other classmates. By being Chinese, I unnecessarily stood out in my school. I didn't want to ostracize myself any further by learning the language itself. With a bright red face, I had simply shrugged, and told my relative that it was "too difficult to learn". This was my first time in China, and I think my mother eventually caught onto my embarrassment of her culture. I didn't understand it during the time, but I had really hurt her feelings without meaning to.
One day, she came up to me and asked, "Do you know why I came to America?" That was the beginning of a long conversation. She had come to America when she was only nineteen, and had only sixty dollars in her pocket. She came here because she wanted to give herself a better education and give her future children a better opportunity in their own education.
This was the point where I realized that she inevitably distanced herself from her …show more content…
The hardest decision was choosing my language classes. Again, I had the option between French and Chinese. I loved French, but I realized that by learning Chinese, I had a chance to better understand Chinese culture. Ultimately, I chose Chinese. This ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. Through this class, I had learned about China's intricate culture, and I took care in memorizing hanzi and pinyin after school. One day during class, an older student had noticed my enthusiasm for culture and had invited me into joining Asian American club. After a year, I had become a board member and secretary for the
It is the third time one of my relatives has asked this question over the dinner table, and I struggle to come up with a tangible answer. How do I tell them that in third grade, I didn't want to speak Chinese. In lieu of signing up for Chinese classes, I had instead enrolled in a French class like most of my other classmates. By being Chinese, I unnecessarily stood out in my school. I didn't want to ostracize myself any further by learning the language itself. With a bright red face, I had simply shrugged, and told my relative that it was "too difficult to learn". This was my first time in China, and I think my mother eventually caught onto my embarrassment of her culture. I didn't understand it during the time, but I had really hurt her feelings without meaning to.
One day, she came up to me and asked, "Do you know why I came to America?" That was the beginning of a long conversation. She had come to America when she was only nineteen, and had only sixty dollars in her pocket. She came here because she wanted to give herself a better education and give her future children a better opportunity in their own education.
This was the point where I realized that she inevitably distanced herself from her …show more content…
The hardest decision was choosing my language classes. Again, I had the option between French and Chinese. I loved French, but I realized that by learning Chinese, I had a chance to better understand Chinese culture. Ultimately, I chose Chinese. This ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. Through this class, I had learned about China's intricate culture, and I took care in memorizing hanzi and pinyin after school. One day during class, an older student had noticed my enthusiasm for culture and had invited me into joining Asian American club. After a year, I had become a board member and secretary for the