I know I have already written my obligatory Friday blog entry earlier today…just kidding about the obligatory part : ). But it’s Friday night and I find myself at home with no plans and with nothing to do. So I figure what the hell – a duel daily entry never hurt anyone. I just want to thank my readers and commentors for their support and best wishes. I know I said this before, but the bschool applicant community is truly one of a kind. We might not know each other’s real names or even recognize one another on the streets, but we all have something in common. And that’s not just about getting into a top business school. It’s much bigger and more than that. It’s about striving and working hard to achieve our dreams in life. So thank you!
Now I know I haven’t really shared anything personal about myself since writing this blog. I’m really not the emotional sharing type. But I thought I change that and also take this opportunity to do some good old fashioned personal sharing. I want to write about something that is not only important but very dear and close to my heart: my family. It’s no surprise that family is very important to Chinese people and to our culture. And I am damn proud of that fact – damn proud! Family is who I am – they are my base and support. My whole family including my grandmother who is almost 90 years old and god bless that woman, will live another 90 years, my aunts, my uncles, cousins, etc are all scattered throughout the US. But we all still get together for family reunions and weddings especially. They all immigrated to this country back in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
My parents were actually one of the last ones to come to the States. There’s actually a pretty good story behind that as well. If you ever read or seen the movie, “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, I swear one of the families in it is actually based off my family. I found out about all the drama and history when I was a teenager. My mother is a twin. Apparently, my grandparents were very poor back when they were in China – so poor that they couldn’t feed all of their children. They were forced to give up my mom for adoption when she was just a child. So she was separated from her twin sister and her biological family throughout most of her young life. I can imagine how traumatic it must’ve been for her. Luckily, her adoptive parents were very affectionate and kind to her, especially her new mother or as I called her my god-grandmother. Meanwhile my mom’s biological family including her twin sister, all had immigrated to the States, trying to make better lives for themselves. After roughly two decades of being separated, my mom was finally reunited with her family when she came to the States back in the early 80’s. She told me it was a very emotional and tearful reunion.
But that’s not the end of this story. Now all I’ve ever really known is my mom’s biological family. But she would constantly share with me her fond memories of her adoptive mother who was still back in China. She said that my god-grandmother would often buy her sweets and told her stories of royal princes and jade dragons in bed until she fell asleep. And in the summer of ’97 when Britain handed Hong Kong back to China, my brother and my 15-year old self and our parents went to China for vacation. My mom was especially excited to have my brother and I finally meet our god-grandmother. She kept saying throughout the whole trip there that that woman is the most kindest and caring person she knows. And when we finally did meet her, my mom of course broke down in tears from the reunion. At first, I didn’t understand why this woman had such a dramatic effect on my mom. But I could definitely feel the bond and love they shared. And almost instantly, I felt a good vibe and connection with this woman who was just a stranger to me moments ago. I can still remember her warm smile as she hugged me and gave me some chocolate sweets. I’m a sucker for chocolate if you didn’t know.
Unfortunately, my god-grandmother was also very sick. And a week into meeting her, she passed away. I remember we were sitting in my god-grandmother’s house and my mom was in tears. Although she was in a very emotional state then, she said something to me and my brother that I would never forget. She said “I am glad you both had a chance to meet her.” Now again, I am not the teary emotional type at all. And that goes double for my brother. But seeing our mother cried over a woman we barely knew, my brother and I just started crying and hugging our mom. We knew at that moment that we had just lost someone who loved and was loved very much. She was definitely a special woman.
So that’s it. That is my special “Joy Luck Club” family memory. I was debating whether I should post this or not. It may be kind of mushy for some people. But what the hell – I am comfortable enough with myself to write this, so I am comfortable with myself enough to post it.
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