Lucky (China, Age 15): English 292

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I come from China. I have a large and happy family. In China, I  lived with my Grandmother, Mom, Dad, and Sister. I am the youngest kid in my family. I have a older sister. I very love my family. We care each other.

China has a long history, about 4600 years. There are a lot of different dynasties, Xuan Han, Han, Three Kingdoms period (Wei, Shu and Wu), Jin (Western Jin Dynasty, the Eastern Jin Dynasty), Northern and Southern (Southern Song, Qi, Liang and Chen), Northern (Northern, Eastern, Western Wei, Northern Qi Dynasty, Northern Zhou), Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties (Hou Liang, Hou Tang Dynasty, Jin, Later Han, Hou Zhou Dynasty), ten countries (Former Shu, Shu, Wu, the Southern Tang, Wu Yue, Min Chu south Han, Nanping, the North Han,) Song (Northern Song, Southern Song Dynasty), Liao, Western Xia, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing. Now is call People’s Republic of China.

There are many traditional festivals in China: Lantern Festival (eating rice balls), Ching Ming Festival (commemorating deceased person), the Dragon boat Festival (eating dumplings, Dragon boat races), Mid-Autumn Festival (eating moon cake), the Chung Yeung Festival (old section), Laba Festival (large New Year’s Eve, childs will get red packet from their parent,  whole family eat reunion dinner), Spring Festival (Chinese New Year).

About 4 and half years ago. My aunt called my mom, asked my mom. If you wanted to immigrated to United States, I can helped you to application. In the beginning, my Mom doesn’t want to came. But my Mom want my sister and I get a good education. However. My aunt helped us applied to Immigrated, applied about 3 years. The letter sent my home, said we can go to visa. When I knew I would be Immigrated, I was so excited.

We also went to school in China, we have to pay money to go to school and breakfast. The teachers were very stick, I woke up every morning at 6AM. We have to wear uniform to school, it we did not wear it , it will get low grade in school. After arrived to school, I started to cleaned the classroom, everyone has one times to clean the classroom every week. Every morning we have one hour to reading, after reading, we do the gymnastics. We had a lot exam at school, if we did not pay attention to the teacher, we will penalty transcription, penalty transcription it means copy the book. In my country, we has a lot books in school, we have to pay money to buy the books,  and sit for whole period without chair, they also use the rule beat us. If you got a very serious trouble, it will be left standing playground by Principal. Usually we rarely have Gym, Art, Moral Lessons, because the teacher want us focus on Language Classes, Mathematics, and English. So the teachers use these class instead of Language Classes, Mathematics and English. When the teachers said we had no gym, all students felt unhappy. These three classes are very important to us, a lot test about these three classes, these are just a elementary school life. While the middle school students they have 13 hours in school, my sister should be on every night self-study, school until 8PM. Everyone feel a lot of pressure, everyday has a lot homework.

New Year is the most important festival. We have long time to celebration. about 10 days, but the school will off about 25 days. New Year color is red, it represent lucky. Every year the Spring Festival. Each house is decorated with a lot of red ornaments. Chinese New Year almost similar to Americas Christmas, they all put a tree at home, and put some red packet on the tree, wish the family earn more money. Every child is full of anticipation and the most exciting day. Their parents, relative, and already married will give their money, buy new clothes and fire work. Every child wear new clothes, new shoes for new year. I heard every household in firecrackers. Everyone face has huge smile. Each family are very lively, they cook a lot food, at least 12 kinds of food. respectively have chicken, goose, trotter stew, cabbage, rice noodles, sweet and sour meat, many different mix vegetables, etc....  After that we take these foods to worship Buddha. we will talk some auspicious words to Buddha. For example, the whole family people will health in the new year, all wishes come true. Then all the people sits around the table and eat a lot of variety of food, all food is very delicious. We are very happy to chat. After eating, all people hang out together to watch people entertainer.I am so exciting to watch people play entertainer. This is the Chinese New Year. Is it very interesting? Autumn is my favorite holiday, the school will off.  We have a lot different fruits and moon cake,we will make some different food to celebration, until the moon look like circle. All people sit together and share the food, full moon represent the family reunion, this is good sense to chinese people.

After knew ready to move to America, I bought some candy to school, I share with my classmates and the teachers. after that the teachers called me to the office, they talked to me, said when I were immigrant, must work hard, do not disappoint your parents and the teachers expectations of your learning. And do not forget the teachers who taught you, because they gave you the knowledge, the teacher just like their parents. Teachers want you to become a great person. let your parents proud of you. I never forget this. My friends they also talked a lot to me, they said  must work hard, also said I am very lucky can move to America. do not forget each other, it made me felt excited and sad, excited because I can move new place improve my study, sad because I do not want leave my family and friends. I said goodbye with the teachers and friends when I was leave the classroom,  they said after you immigrant we should always keep in touch. We wish you all the good life in the United States. We wait for you to come back visit us, good luck!

I took a car to the airport, and transfer the airplane to United States. After arrived airport,  I saw many people from different country, I hear some people they speak english very well, I was very envy them. I hope that one day my English is as good as them. There are few hour away check in.  In a few hours, my grandmother talked a lot to me. “America is the large place, there has many different country people, I know the new place is very strange place, but you need to adapt it, remember after move to United States, must work hard, help your mom do chores, grandmother wait for you come back visit me.” Before check in, we hang each other.

After 15 hours, I move to United States, I through New York and China was very different.  In New York, there have a lot large building. My aunt took me to some interesting places. She took me to Times Square, there is so beautiful, there are some people dress as cartoon and take pictures with someone. After I live in New York about one week, then my aunt told me move to other place to go to school.  so I need to live separately with my mom. after one week I move to Binghamton.

I like American culture, because I think they thought very open, they get along very warm. In my country, girl and boy they can not get closer if they do not have Kinship or the couple's relationship. While these are the thoughts of the elderly. Some young people think it doesn’t matter. but the family still to prohibit and boys too close. But in America, there is no gender friends. boy and women they also can get closer, become friend, they will meet embracing each other.

After I went to Binghamton, my mom stay in Brooklyn, because Binghamton has less chinese people, so my mom need to stay in Brooklyn find a job. Binghamton has many foreigners, my aunt hope me fast to learn new language. When I first time came to Binghamton, it looks very different in New York, Binghamton is a small town, not likes New York, many building at anywhere. In Binghamton not have much building, there are all independent small cottage. It looks like very warm, I like to live there, there is a very quiet place, fresh air. Everyone go out driving, few people walking on the road. There have one high school, two middle schools and 2 colleges. I was studied in East Middle School when I lived there. There has other Middle School, It calls West Middle school. I lived with my cousin, my cousin is very kindly, she have a young brother, she move to America when she was 23years old, she work very hard. First she went to two years college and transfer 4 years college, finally she graduated Binghamton University. Now she speak english very well, she open a chinese restaurant in Binghamton. She’s very take care me when I lived with her, she got marriage, her  husband is a PHD, her young brother is a PhD also. My aunt very proud of them, so my uncle he always telling me.  I would like them to learning. I have always said, I will, I will try my best. Actually I know it is impossible. But I do not want my family disappoint about my learning, because I have learning to come to the United States. She teach me the vocabulary word and teach me do homework.

The first day of school in Binghamton. This is my first time to went to school in the United States. I walked in school, it made me felt very surprised. Because American schools and schools in my country is very different. The school looks nice, easy to study, someone forgot to do work but the teacher can let her makeup turn in tomorrow. If in my country, the teacher will punish us. If always happen, will call parent in school. The school only have 2 chinese peoples, it make me scared. One girl she helped me a lot, she also a chinese. We learn each other at school bus, I take school bus to school everyday, she was six grade, i was seven grade. we are in different floor to study, so we have very little time to meet at school. In my class, i am the only one chinese, they was bullied me, they laugh about I couldn’t speak english, it make me so sad. when I arrive home, I called my mom, and told mom they are bullied me, they laugh me about I wouldn’t speak english.  After I told my mom, she told me I need to be stronger, this is just a small event. But some people they are very kind for me, after they knew i was transfer, they come to said goodbye with me and bought christmas gift for me, I was very happy. I lived there about half year, I transfer the school, I come back Brooklyn. I graduated middle school in Brooklyn, I.S. 281.  I am so exciting I can live with my mom.

My mom found the house, after that I live with my mom, I know my mom work very hard, she need to wake up very early, I see my mom work very hard, I start to learn how to cook, helping my mom share the house work, my mom always tell me, “daughter, you must need to work hard, then you can get a good college when you graduate high school.”I know why my mom always tell me to work hard in school, because she want me to be able to find a great job when I grow up, my mom hopes me be a nurse, when I was a little kid, I want to be a teacher, when I  become older and older, I change my goal, because i want to be a nurse, because I think nurse job is very great, it can help people solve their problem.

When I first came to United States, I was cried at everyday, I called my grandmother after I came home from school, In China, I had mostly time stay with my mom, but after immigrated, my mom most time to work, she go to work very early until late to come back home, after I living New York about 4 years. I adapt the life in America, but I still think chinese is  better, I also like America, I am so happy can immigrant to America, I think live China is better, because I had a lot friends and relatives are their. The most important thing is I had a lot time stay with my mom and she doesn’t need to work hard. Now I try my best everyday, I need to work hard, and get a good college, get a great job when I am older, because I don’t want my mom work too much hard.

This is my life. In real life, everyone will encounter a lot of different challenges and a lot of problems to be solve. Although sometimes encounter some troubles, but sometimes encounter some fun things, such is life, the ups and downs that have try to be call wonderful life. And I am grateful to my mom, thank her for raising me. Every mother in the world are great!