Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
My Chinese education commenced in kindergarten, with my parents deciding to enroll me in Alice Fong Yu Chinese Immersion School. This may seem slightly odd, considering that I have absolutely no Chinese heritage in my background. After enrolling my brother in the same school and receiving excellent academic results, they figured they would follow suit with me. From that point on, not only was I immersed in the Chinese language, but also in the Chinese culture.
From Chinese holidays, cooking, etiquette, and even music, I learned it all. Growing up, almost all my friends were either full Chinese or half Chinese. However, I did not see them this way. They were simply "my friends", with no division between us. It wasn't until I graduated to high school I became conscious of my own race, being identified in the hallways as "white girl".
Despite my unawareness, I had noticed a difference between the world I encountered in school, and the one I came home to. My school focused much more on excellence and dedication, characteristic of a more eastern attitude, while my family chose to emphasize happiness and individuality, generally associated with a more Western attitude. I say individuality because I saw none of the obsession over me from my parents as I saw many of my friend's parents do over them. My parents were decidedly their own people, and if driving me home from school meant missing an outing with their friends, then I would just have to tough it out. Their lives did not revolve around me, quite contrary to what I had come to expect through my education at Alice Fong Yu. I would look with envy upon classmates whose parents would pressure and obsess over them, wondering why my parents did not take the same interest in myself.
It is this contrast that motivates me. Although my parents' approach probably was the healthier one, I think somewhere in my heart I wished for my parents to show the same enthusiasm regarding my education, and so I tried even harder in school, with my parents nodding their heads, but never showing quite the passion that I wanted. A fantastic example of this would be a conversation I recently had with my mother: "Hey, mom, I'm ranked first in my class." "Really? Good job." It may seem odd, a desire to prove my worth to parents that are already satisfied with me, but I feel that it has been one of my driving forces in high school, and probably will continue to be.
My strict education has led me to strive for and expect success in all forms, academic, social, or even athletic. However it is my parents relative apathy that has truly driven, a rebellion of sorts that never quite seems to reach fruition.
Thank you in advance!
My Chinese education commenced in kindergarten, with my parents deciding to enroll me in Alice Fong Yu Chinese Immersion School. This may seem slightly odd, considering that I have absolutely no Chinese heritage in my background. After enrolling my brother in the same school and receiving excellent academic results, they figured they would follow suit with me. From that point on, not only was I immersed in the Chinese language, but also in the Chinese culture.
From Chinese holidays, cooking, etiquette, and even music, I learned it all. Growing up, almost all my friends were either full Chinese or half Chinese. However, I did not see them this way. They were simply "my friends", with no division between us. It wasn't until I graduated to high school I became conscious of my own race, being identified in the hallways as "white girl".
Despite my unawareness, I had noticed a difference between the world I encountered in school, and the one I came home to. My school focused much more on excellence and dedication, characteristic of a more eastern attitude, while my family chose to emphasize happiness and individuality, generally associated with a more Western attitude. I say individuality because I saw none of the obsession over me from my parents as I saw many of my friend's parents do over them. My parents were decidedly their own people, and if driving me home from school meant missing an outing with their friends, then I would just have to tough it out. Their lives did not revolve around me, quite contrary to what I had come to expect through my education at Alice Fong Yu. I would look with envy upon classmates whose parents would pressure and obsess over them, wondering why my parents did not take the same interest in myself.
It is this contrast that motivates me. Although my parents' approach probably was the healthier one, I think somewhere in my heart I wished for my parents to show the same enthusiasm regarding my education, and so I tried even harder in school, with my parents nodding their heads, but never showing quite the passion that I wanted. A fantastic example of this would be a conversation I recently had with my mother: "Hey, mom, I'm ranked first in my class." "Really? Good job." It may seem odd, a desire to prove my worth to parents that are already satisfied with me, but I feel that it has been one of my driving forces in high school, and probably will continue to be.
My strict education has led me to strive for and expect success in all forms, academic, social, or even athletic. However it is my parents relative apathy that has truly driven, a rebellion of sorts that never quite seems to reach fruition.
Thank you in advance!
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