Stumbling after mom towards the airport, I wanted to cry. I was given a small suitcase and a tiny bundle of clothing to drag around. To my six year old muscles, they were like lugging around the sky. Huffing and puffing, I finally succeeded in begging my mom to let me rest in the middle of the airplane terminal. I soon learned that this was not a good idea. I was whacked with all kinds of objects, sharp, round, soft, hard, by the crowd of people rushing to catch their flight. Mom just stood to the side, safe from any harmful objects, calmly watching me as I threw a tantrum in the middle of the Wuhan airport.
“Flight 53 to Chicago, United States of America is leaving in thirty minutes” came from the broadcast above my head.
Mom finally moved …show more content…
We were extremely poor. Dad’s income from being a post-doctoral fellow in Virginia Tech’s science lab was barely enough to keep us fed. I was starting school soon and my broken English was sure to set me apart from the rest of my classmates. My mom tried to improve our lifestyle by working at a nearby restaurant called China In as a waitress for under minimum wage pay. Life in America was hard. Mom brought me along with her to her job since I was too young to stay home alone. Watching my mom everyday changed a part of me. It opened my eyes to the part of the world I’ve been safely protected from when I was in China, the part of the world that is struggling to stay warm and fed. I realized how fortunate I was to have a happy, healthy, and whole family. I would sit in a corner, watching her lift heavy buckets and carry stacks of plates around with her small frame. The look of exhaustion overtook her as she counted her tips at the end of each day. The customers would treat her with disrespect sometimes due to her poor English. Sometimes they were so rude that I swore I would go up to them and give them a piece of my mind with my 6 year old fists, but mom would always stop me with a hard look whenever I tried to get up.The transition from China to the United States was hard. We were rich back in China. Mom worked as a midwife in one of the biggest hospitals in China and dad was a manager in another big company. My parents spoiled me. They would buy whatever I want, if I whined long enough. In America, everything was different. My parents would take me to stores like Goodwill and Dollar Tree on Friday nights for the weekly sales events. I would stare at the candy rack in longing, knowing that we could never afford to buy candy at a time like this. As a six year old, I had no idea what I could do for my family. So instead, I stayed top in my studies and brought home many accomplishments and perfect
“Flight 53 to Chicago, United States of America is leaving in thirty minutes” came from the broadcast above my head.
Mom finally moved …show more content…
We were extremely poor. Dad’s income from being a post-doctoral fellow in Virginia Tech’s science lab was barely enough to keep us fed. I was starting school soon and my broken English was sure to set me apart from the rest of my classmates. My mom tried to improve our lifestyle by working at a nearby restaurant called China In as a waitress for under minimum wage pay. Life in America was hard. Mom brought me along with her to her job since I was too young to stay home alone. Watching my mom everyday changed a part of me. It opened my eyes to the part of the world I’ve been safely protected from when I was in China, the part of the world that is struggling to stay warm and fed. I realized how fortunate I was to have a happy, healthy, and whole family. I would sit in a corner, watching her lift heavy buckets and carry stacks of plates around with her small frame. The look of exhaustion overtook her as she counted her tips at the end of each day. The customers would treat her with disrespect sometimes due to her poor English. Sometimes they were so rude that I swore I would go up to them and give them a piece of my mind with my 6 year old fists, but mom would always stop me with a hard look whenever I tried to get up.The transition from China to the United States was hard. We were rich back in China. Mom worked as a midwife in one of the biggest hospitals in China and dad was a manager in another big company. My parents spoiled me. They would buy whatever I want, if I whined long enough. In America, everything was different. My parents would take me to stores like Goodwill and Dollar Tree on Friday nights for the weekly sales events. I would stare at the candy rack in longing, knowing that we could never afford to buy candy at a time like this. As a six year old, I had no idea what I could do for my family. So instead, I stayed top in my studies and brought home many accomplishments and perfect