My work!
Dream World
Why do people dream the largest of dreams?
It seems a dream can just strike like thunder.
Imagination bursting at the seams,
all just to strive for a child like wonder.
Sunglasses became secret spy goggles,
the cardboard cities from boxes piled.
A dream or hope can make a mind boggle,
just let your creativity wild.
From crazy childhood imaginations,
to grown hopes for better society.
Not mermaids, but safe laws for our nation,
too much crime, just stop this anxiety.
Dream, aspire, and hope; three words the same;
I dream of a safe world, where we’re all sane.
First Generation ABC (American Born Chinese)
AMERICAN
I am American. I was born in America and speak the language as fluently as any white person you would come across. Yet no matter what I do, no matter what I say, to others I will never be American enough.
BORN
I am so grateful to be here on this planet, living the best life. I would like to thank everyone who came before me who has provided me with this opportunity.
CHINESE
I am Chinese. My grandparents are from Taiwan and Hong Kong and they moved to America with hopes and dreams to create a better opportunity for their children and their grandchildren. With my grandma always yapping my ear off as a baby, Chinese was my first language. However, now, I can barely speak the language. And so everyday, I continue to add onto my daily Duolingo streak in hopes of reconnecting with my heritage and roots.
DÌ DÌ (LITTLE BROTHER)
My built-in best friend. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. From letting me braid your short hair when I wished I had a sister, to helping me out with my Chinese homework when I couldn’t finish it in time. I’ll always be there for you whenever you need something.
EGGS
As a Chinese American household, eggs were always a staple in our house. Like Americans, my mom would scramble eggs and put them over tater tots for a classic red, white and blue breakfast. On other days, I would stand on a stepstool assisting my grandma while she stirred a bowl of eggs into a thick and creamy stew for the perfect Chinese egg drop soup. No matter the meal or the resulting dish, eggs were one of my favorite foods, perfectly representing my Asian American culture with a slightly yellow complexion. Just like me.
FAMILY
My family is the most important thing to me. I will cherish every moment that I have with them and love them until the day I die. Even though many days I overlook it, I am extremely grateful for the opportunities they have all provided for me when they moved from Asia to America, and then into Woodbury.
GRANDPARENTS
My grandparents immigrated to the US when my parents were just children. When they got here they were greeted with new opportunities, new chances, and a whole lot of discrimination. On my mother’s side, my grandma became the owner of a fried chicken shop and my grandpa went back into dental school to get recertified in the States. On my father’s side, my grandma became a stay at home mom and my grandpa
HOT POT
A family tradition. In my Chinese American household, hot pot was eaten for every special occasion. Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Hungry hands come from every corner of the table reaching for food. My parents and grandparents always grab the best pieces for my little brother and I first, showing their affection and care for us. With a bowl of rice and a never ending pot of meats, veggies and more, the meal goes on into the wee hours of the night accompanied with chatting and laughter.
IMMIGRANTS
im·mi·grant
/ˈiməɡrənt/
noun
a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.
From stable jobs in Taiwan and Hong Kong to a world of mystery and uncertainty in the US, my grandparents came here looking for a better future for generations to come.
JIĚ JIE (OLDER SISTER)
The first words to come out of my little brother’s mouth as a baby. He still calls me Jiě jie to this day.
KAI LAN
S1 E1 · The Dragonboat Festival
The theme songs come on and I am immediately sucked into the TV watching Kai Lan and her magical animal friends dance across the screen. Even though she was animated, seeing someone who looked like me and shared my culture made my childhood self proud of my skin.
LAUGHTER
My dad makes a funny joke. My brother and I race down our grandparents cul de sac. My grandma’s attempting a new dance move taught by none other than me. My mom tells a long winded story at the dinner table. My grandpa plays hide and seek with my brother and I. The family all tucked into my parents bed as we fall asleep watching a sitcom.
MEDICAL TRAINING
While their friends were done with college, my parents continued their studies. My dad was training to be a doctor, and my mom was a pharmacist. In an unlikely turn of events, a code blue patient brought them together, and the rest is history.
NINI
A nickname given to me by my parents and grandparents. Originating from “Tiffanini” then eventually getting shortened to just Nini. While the name came from before I can even remember, my parents and grandparents still call me this today and I will always feel comforted by it.
OPERATOR
My grandpa had to be in an English class for three months when trying to recertify to become a dentist after moving to the States. On one of the tests they played the song “Operator” by Jim Croce. At first he and the class had believed they were listening to the song for fun. Instead after listening to the song he was forced to write down all the right lyrics to pass the test. In 1980, he graduated USC and got a Doctor of Dental Surgery. Four years later he opened his own dentistry business. In 1997 he sold his business attempting to retire, but as an immigrant he continued to work until 2007 when he really retired, to take care of me.
PARENTS
I love my parents. For ever and ever and always.
QQ
A term originating in Taiwan, where Q means chewy. However it is much more complex than just that. QQ is a way to describe things that are al dente, such as boba. QQ is an amazing soft texture, but it is most definitely not mushy. It is squishy, yet strong and offers resistance when you bite it. Just like my grandparents who are kind and caring yet brave when they moved to America from Taiwan.
RICE
I love to eat rice. I suppose you could compare it to bread, or pasta. In my Chinese culture, rice is life. And a day without rice is not a good day. After a day without rice, I feel deprived.
STAIRS
My grandma and I sit halfway up Mount Everest as she unpacks our picnic. She begins to unwrap my Fàntuán, one of my favorite foods, a sticky rice ball stuffed with a very much Americanized mixture of scrambled eggs, Lays potato chips, and homemade Chinese pickled veggies. As we sit on the stairs munching on our Fàntuán we talk about life. While I was only two and still an only child, the conversation was not very substantial. After our lunch I’m very sleepy and she carries me back down Mount Everest to the bottom of the staircase.
TEA
I drink with my QQ bobas.
UNO
Throughout my life, on every special occasion, when my family would come over, after eating our traditional hot pot, my whole family would sit in a circle around the floor and play Uno. While so many assume I know how to play mahjong and Chinese checkers, in reality, I don’t. I know how to play Uno.
VACATION
My family and I love to travel. Whether it’s relaxing on a beach in Kauai, riding a roller coaster in Disney World, exploring the never ending food stalls in Taiwan, or volunteering on a medical mission in Jamaica, my family always carves out time for vacation. And I know the only reason this is possible is because my parents and grandparents worked hard to make this dream for us. To be able to be fortunate enough to have money to spend on the most amazing and surreal vacations that turn into memories.
WOODBURY
Located in Irvine, California, my family moved down here when I was just two years old. With my mom growing up in Cerritos, California, and my dad growing up in Maryland, both my parents didn’t see much diversity in their own communities after immigrating here. When my brother and I were born, my parents wanted something different for us. So here I am, writing this narrative in an excellent school surrounded by teachers and classmates that look just like me.
XIǍOLÓNG BĀO (SOUP DUMPLINGS)
A family favorite. Sitting around the table at Din Tai Fung, my entire family feasts on these tiny delicacies. Careful fingers maneuver chopsticks around circular dumplings mindful that one wrong prod and the entire thing could burst. Chatter and giggles flow through our table while my grandma “tsktsks” at my dad’s sloppy chopstick skills.
YELLOW
The color of skin I will always find room to be proud of.
ZHŌU (PORRIDGE)
In so many American movies when a child is sick, their parents give them chicken noodle soup. Whether or not that is true, I may never know. What I do know is that in a Chinese household when you are sick you eat Zhōu. Zhōu is a savory porridge that can consist of any toppings that you can imagine.