Two more weeks! How are you guys doing? These two weeks are really important and you shouldn’t waste any time. From my experience, a good exam grade can bump your final grade at least one level. Of course, if you slack off during these two weeks, you may have to retake some of your classes next year.
These two weeks are probably longer for me than anyone else. I cannot wait to go back home. I had a dream last night that I met my family and high school friends. The dream was so sweet that I didn’t wake up from it. I almost missed my 9am class today. I didn’t realize I would miss home so much. I have never told you guys about my family background. I think now is the time.
I was born in a teaching family. My grandpa and my parents are all teachers. That‘s how they figured out how to send me abroad to get a better education. Being a teacher is not the best way to earn money. My parents are not rich but they still spends thousands of thousands dollars on my tuition fee. Compared to American college students, I feel so bad that I still rely on my parents. When I was China, I heard that Americans were very independent since they were teenagers. My own experiences prove this.
All my American friends pay for college by themselves. Some of them have scholarships and some of them work hard to make the money. In China, it is a totally different culture. Because of the “one child policy”, most of the families have only one child. Parents take care of everything for us. We are a so-called “spoiled generation”. Some still live off parents’ money when they are 30’s.
In Chinese culture, family is the strongest social structure. China used to be a monarchy for thousands of years. The Imperial family can only inherit the position of being a king. Man has absolutely all the power in a family. A son has to obey his father. Because of this, lots of businesses in China are family businesses. It passes from one generation to another for hundreds of years. In this way, lots of unique skills are saved and the torch gets passed along. Maybe that’s why my mom chose to be a teacher and married my dad who’s also a teacher. Hundreds of times, my dad told me the best job for me is to be a university professor. Unfortunately, I have no interest in teaching. Sorry mom and dad, I probably will end to being an engineer instead of a teacher. I feel bad that I end the “family business”. Well, not really. I can make my son to be an engineer then and start my own business.
Nowadays, things get a lot better. But the whole family theory is still strong in the society. Once you have your child, you no longer live for yourself. You are living for your child. That’s the core of your life. At least my mom told me her life was changed the day I born. All she thinks of is about me. Parents spend so much on taking care of their children that they also expect equal payback. Usually, your first month salary is supposed to be given to your parents. It means you’re starting to make money and taking responsibility to support your parents. Health insurance in China is way worse than in America. Parents expect that they can live on their children when they get old. Also, children have the responsibility to take care of their old parents.
Thanks to my parents, I can have such a good education. It’s my goal in my life to let them have a wonderful old age.