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My parents abandoned a life of luxury along with their Filipino maid when leaving Hong Kong to come to the U.S. so that my sister and I could have a safer future in case the Chinese take-over in '97 spells disaster for the HK economy (which turned out to be quite the opposite.) And when your Chinese parents are college-educated with esteemed professions, your worth is measured by how well you do in school and how successful you are (or how much money you make) in your career. Growing up, if we brought home a test score of 98, my dad would ask, "Why didn't you get a 100?" And even straight A's were not enough - I had to excel in piano while my sister was a star athlete. Luckily for my parents, their progeny turned out almost exactly what they had hoped for. Excellent grades, respectable careers, and happy marriages were some of the things they could brag about to their friends. Not to mention all the vacations we treated them to once we started working. It appears their decades-long sacrifices had finally paid off with grandkids and retirement to look forward to.
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So when she called and mockingly asked how my first day at work went, she added, "I don't know why you are working for $9 an hour when you can work for $300 an hour." To which I replied, "First of all, I'm not a lawyer or an I-banker so I will never make $300 an hour. Secondly, at least you'll always have your other daughter who is happily married and gainfully employed and will be popping out grandkids in a couple years so you might as well just give up on me." She let out a hearty sigh and proceeded to tell me about her day at work and how to make a Chinese mushroom dish for Justin. It seems no matter how much I must have disappointed her, my mother never fails to provide unconditional love and unwavering support. And for that I will always love and appreciate her to no end.
2 comments:
haha mom asked when i was visiting you so i could bring you and justino some 'fun see'... don't worry- behind your back, i'm sure she brags about you as the cool & exciting world-traveling daughter...
I'm sure "Go Ma" is still very proud of you for marching to the beat of your own drum and living life to its fullest. At least I am proud of you. :)
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