Chapter one is the Parents
America is known as the land of opportunity. It certainly was that way around the turn of this century, when many people in China wanted to leave the country. My parents were no different. In 2001, Mom and Dad immigrated to Canada. There, they earned their master’s degree and P.H.D. degree, respectively, and eventually moved to the US Silicon Valley to take on new jobs. However, the recession hit in 2007. To make matters worse, my parents had just bought a house and both worked for the same company. Over a year long period, my parents were worried. They had two children to support and mortgages to pay. In the end, neither of them was laid off. Now, the economy is slowly recovering and my dad works at Apple and my mom at Samsung. Everything worked out and they are living a happy life.
Chapter two is the Older Son
When I was two, my parents moved to Canada. I eventually attended kindergarten there. I expected to stay in one school like all the normal children. But I moved to another school for first grade. In the middle of first grade, I moved back to China for 6 months. And then I moved to America, attended second and third grade, and then moved another school. In total, I moved to 5 elementary schools along my journey to the United States. My travels, however, had a heavy influence on my personality. Because I had never settled down in one place, I’ve never had a stable group of friends I got to know. Everywhere I went, I was the only new kid, the outcast who no one knows. I remember my constant wanderings during recess by myself, praying for class to start. Thus, I’ve always had a timid personality.
Despite enduring loneliness, I’m glad I went through being an outcast because it helped me maintain my innocence. Many other children played with the wrong types of kids and developed bad habits. I lived a sheltered life and now that I am mature enough, I can tell right from wrong. Still, my story is one of learning. Looking back, I learned of the pains of loneliness at a young age. With my experiences, I feel an obligation to help people who need a friend. Today, I still eat behind the gym with all my other outcast friends.
Chapter three is the younger son
In a way, my brother is completely separate from his own family. He is the first person in our family to be born outside of China. We would always tease him about the fact that he was born in Canada, while Mom, Dad, and Brother were born in China. But because of that, he doesn’t know how lucky he is. He was born after we had settled down after immigrating from China. At the age of nine, he has many luxuries that I could only dream of as a child. He has a Samsung tablet. I had a toy car. He rides in a car. I walked three hours to a WalMart and back. He has friends. I moved around.
Written by Bobby Ma