“I regret not caring for your mother and my own family. I was selfish and wanted to achieve my own dreams.” My grandfather was the only one in his family to emigrate from China to America. He was the oldest child in a family of six children, leaving him with many responsibilities. Responsibilities he wanted to escape. He was young; he had dreams, but the possibilities in China were very limited.

“I had a love for cameras and loved taking pictures of everything. I bought so many fancy and expensive cameras and lens for my hobby. I eventually opened my own photography business in Chinatown, but it didn’t do so well.” My grandfather’s passion for photography still lives with him now. At every family dinner, he’s always the one with the big camera, taking pictures of the celebration. My siblings and I like to show him our iPhones with the built-in cameras because he always finds the self-portrait camera on it very confusing, but amused by it at the same time.

“I had many failures and many successes. Life in America was great. I had to figure things out myself first before bringing your grandmother, your mother and your uncles into this. I sent them all the money I made to try to make up for my absence but I don’t know if that was enough. “ My grandpa is eighty-six now, and cares for us before caring for himself. My mom always believed that he only does this to make up for the past. Whether or not my mom is right, I believe that my grandpa truly learned from his past and is careful to not make the same mistakes again. And that is why I love my grandpa.