About My Family
My father and mother both came to the United State
s with only high school educations from China. My father learned English by jerryrigging a short wave radio in southern China, so that he could listen to radio broadcasts from Hong Kong. He dreamed of owning a restaurant, starting out as a hot dog vendor in New York City. He still keeps the tag to this very day. He hoped that his son would always appreciate the good life that he has in the United States. My father’s motto was always, “If you don’t do it, someone’s got to, so why not do it?” Although he may have used those words to describe washing dishes, rennovating basements, and other household chores, I will always keep his hard-working spirit in my heart.
My mother had a love of physics when she was in China, being one of the top of her town of Tai Shan in college entrance examinations. Upon arriving in the United States, she began working low-paying jobs in labor and small-tech sectors, a stark difference from her previous aspiration of physicist. I will always remember my mother discussing with her then 7 and 6-year olds the importance of her overtime work. She was on the verge of tears, but she wanted to tell us that she would not see us for a short while. She said that even though she wouldn’t be there, it would still be important for us to always go to bed ontime and to not blackmail the babysitter to give us McDonald’s.
My partner in crime throughout the years was my kid sister, Shiela. Yes, her name is spelled that way because my father purposefully mispelled it to make her especially unique. From the rags to the riches and back to the rags, my sister and I have grown and matured at rapid rates. Most of the time, I think my sister is mature enough for the both of us. She and I used to kid around while in school that her chosen profession as a doctor and my profession as a lawyer are to get each other’s backs. If she is sued, I’ll have her “back.” While if someone comes after me with a two-by-four, she will literally have mine. She graduated Grinnell college in May 2008 and even though neither of us are pursuing the traditional professional careers of doctor and lawyer (shhh… don’t tell the rest of the Chinese community), we still have each other’s backs.
