Family Values vs. Faith Born in southern California in December of 1981, I grew up as a first generation American born Chinese child. My father, the dominant parent, grew up in Main Land China, and immigrated to the US to exercise his mind at the University of North Carolina. He spent years preparing for the entrance exam in Taiwan and passionately recollects the story of how he turned his life around and "aced" the entrance exam in order to attend graduate school in the US, and gain US citizenship as well. Earning a Masters at the University, he was soon left with infinite possibilities, however, alone in the US, he was quite intimidated. He found side work in fast food restaurants and earned extra cash to travel to California where he gained experience in the field of accounting through various job opportunities in Los Angeles. Soon after establishing himself, he made it possible for his wife and parents to become permanent residents in America.
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...
United States
United StatesDue to my father's hard work in America, my maternal grandparents were also able to establish themselves in the US. I can honestly say that my father made riches from rags and earned the respect of all of us: my mother, my older sister, both my paternal and maternal grandparents, and also myself. Because of this overwhelming amount of respect there were few times where any one of us proved my father wrong. It seems as if my father was the alpha male during my childhood.
My sister and I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood. Across the street lived an Affrican American family, and next-door was home to a family of Italians. School, friends, education, and Sunm 2 basically our environment provided various influences from different walks of life. The diverse...