User:Becky

Becky Chen, 18

They had always considered large families to be a blessing, for there was nothing more enjoyable than having large groups gathered around dinner tables. In fact, Chinese tradition had indeed indicated the need to celebrate with oversized families. Chinese New Year, the prime example, had always been the best opportunity for such gatherings.

It is therefore undeniable that they, my parents, prided themselves on being brother and sister of many other brothers and sisters. My father had always been the fourth oldest of six sons. My mother, one year younger than my father, was the youngest of six daughters, yet still older than her only two brothers. When they were both 23, they met while working in the county and married several years later.

My oldest aunt, my mother’s oldest sister, was responsible for the emigration of my entire family. In a time when only families with relatives in the United States were allowed to leave China, my aunt had coincidentally married a man who already had relatives overseas and was willing to venture there himself. My aunt and her husband were the first of my family to come to the United States and settle in Jackson Heights, Queens. Upon their arrival, they immediately applied to have my parents leave China.

By the time my mother and father arrived in the United States in 1982, my aunt had already purchased a house and was able to rent an apartment for my parents on Eighty-Second Street, Roosevelt Avenue. For several years after that, my parents worked endlessly for unbelievably low wages and were still working until my brother, Yu-Jin, was born on April 17, 1986. My mother recalled that on that day, she was the happiest she had ever been since she arrived in the United States. She had finally given birth to her first child, something she had been hoping to do. My father, though he was ecstatic, was also very frightened because he had absolutely no idea how their pay would sustain a newborn child, especially when my mother could not work after my brother was born.

The frantic years started soon after my brother’s birth, when my parents found that landlords would not tolerate children. My mother had returned to work and together, my parents worked even harder, trying to save money to purchase a house of their own. At that time, I had been born on September 19, 1988. In 1993, my parents saved enough money to purchase their own home on Seventy-Second Street, Thirty-Fourth Avenue in Jackson Heights and our family has been living there up until this day.

Since that time, my parents have acquired better jobs and have been especially peaceful now that my brother and I are attending college. They look back and are thankful that the hard days are over because my brother and I require no constant attention and are perfectly able to take care of ourselves. On even lighter notes, we require only tiny portions of their pay, as we both have jobs to support ourselves.

My parents speak easily about this topic. They have become so accustomed to New York that they do not miss much in Guangzhou, China, except perhaps the peaceful country scenery. They do not dislike much about their New York experience, except the times when they strained themselves to earn a living. Because of this, they have both stressed the importance of a good education and have claimed that they would have loved the opportunity to go to school more if Mao Zedong had not kept them out of schools. Education has been an important part of my life mostly because my parents had not had the opportunity to experience the end of high school years. They constantly observe our school years to be sure that we take advantage of something they never were forced to give up.

My parents have had almost all of their family members leave China. My relatives are scattered throughout the nation. As of now, my relatives occupy California, Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, and certain parts of New York. My family, having been in the United States for more than 20 years, would not choose to leave because the opportunities they have had in this nation outweigh those they could have had if they had chosen never to leave China. As for me, I am extremely proud of my parents for having the courage to start over in a distant place and thankful that everything they have accomplished has been to provide my brother and I with opportunities and resources to achieve their dreams of seeing my brother and I graduate from college.