I believe I have a unique background that will distinguish me from other applicants. I was born in Wuhan, China and 16 months later I was living in the United States. My two loving parents decided that they wanted to adopt and years later I became a Chesser and a United States Citizen. My adoption has become part of my story: who I am. I was fortunate to have my mother with me for seven years before she passed away from breast cancer. My mother was there for me every step of the way, from the beginning of my adoption to entering third grade. She was a music teacher and music was a part of her life; she made it mine as well. I am currently in my fourteenth year in piano, and it has grown into something that helps me feel connected to my mother.
I remember the day when my dad took me out to the city pier and brought me hot chocolate. He told me that mom was not doing well and the treatments the
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I was blessed to have my father arrange a trip to visit my hometown and famous sites in China. The unique part about this vacation is that I would be joining twenty other adopted Chinese girls. All of us were different ages from seven to eighteen. Throughout the two weeks of traveling, I was able to see many famous sites like The Great Wall of China and The Terracotta Warriors. Traveling with other adopted girls was an extraordinary experience because we all had common ground. Some girls spent their early years in an orphanage and others in foster care; but all of us were adopted into loving families. Later in the trip we separated to go visit our hometowns. I was able to visit the orphanage where I grew up before being placed in a foster family. I saw the “finding” site where the guards found me after my birth mother abandoned me. Learning about my home roots was emotional and difficult but I do not regret visiting my
Firstly, the relationship expectations in Chinese customs and traditions were strongly held onto. The daughters of the Chinese family were considered as a shame for the family. The sons of the family were given more honour than the daughters. In addition, some daughters were even discriminated. “If you want a place in this world ... do not be born as a girl child” (Choy 27). The girls from the Chinese family were considered useless. They were always looked down upon in a family; they felt as if the girls cannot provide a family with wealth. Chinese society is throwing away its little girls at an astounding rate. For every 100 girls registered at birth, there are 118 little boys in other words, nearly one seventh of Chinese girl babies are going missing (Baldwin 40). The parents from Chinese family had a preference for boys as they thought; boys could work and provide the family income. Due to Chinese culture preference to having boys, girls often did not have the right to live. In the Chinese ethnicity, the family always obeyed the elder’s decision. When the family was trying to adapt to the new country and they were tryin...
It depicts the relationship between the mothers' and their daughters and how this relationship affects the daughters lives. Emphasis is placed on historical references and the struggle of women. All of the mothers were born between the mid 1920's and the late 1940's. The political and social histories of China were important factors in the character building youth of these women. Between 1931 and 1945 China was occupied by the Japanese, which led to their immigration to the United States.
After going through this, the last thing they want is for their daughters to have to face the same challenges. In the mothers’ eyes, the least they can do is lend some of their Chinese insight to aid their American daughters. One could argue that the mothers’ trials don’t equate to modern times and the Western world. However, making that assumption would discredit the connection that is evident between the generations. Rather, the mothers’ experiences translate quite well, lending them greater insight into their daughters than their daughters could hope to know.
Growing up in California, Tan continued to embrace the typical values of Americans. She had taken on American values as her own identity, completely ignoring most of her Chinese heritage. In fact, young Amy Tan would answer her mother’s Chinese questions in English (Miller 1162). Teenage Amy Tan lost both her father and sixteen-year-old brother to brain tumors. Soon after that, she learned that she had two half-sisters in China from her mother’s first marriage (“Amy Tan Biography”). In 1987, Tan made a trip to China to meet those very same ...
Parenting is one of the greatest honors, commitments, and trials a person will go through. It will test resolve, health, and even sanity but it can also provide the greatest sense of love and accomplishment in a person’s life. Whether a parent’s style is strict, laissez-faire, or somewhere in between, the choices made by parents for their children will leave their marks on the character and development of their children long into their lives. Amy Chua knew this. She also knew how dangerous it would be to her children’s future to raise them in a style that would leave them open to falling short of the opportunities they would start with due to her own, and her parents’, successes and she resolved not to allow this to happen on her watch (22). Although she has repeatedly, and sometimes correctly, been criticized for her parenting style, Amy Chua demonstrates throughout her book a definitively visible result and a love, though sometimes misconstrued, that is fully evident in all the dedication she has given to her daughters' development into outstanding people. Through exhibiting confidence in what her girls can achieve, maintaining great expectations of what they will accomplish, and most importantly devoting as much time as possible to directly raising the girls to be their best, Amy has shown that great love, coupled with great tenacity, given in a “Chinese mother” style, proved to make an enduring mark on her children’s development.
The complexitities of any mother-daughter relationship go much deeper then just their physical features that resemble one another. In Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, the stories of eight Chinese women are told. Together this group of women forms four sets of mother and daughter pairs. The trials and triumphs, similarities and differences, of each relationship with their daughter are described, exposing the inner makings of four perfectly matched pairs. Three generations of the Hsu family illustrate how both characteristics and values get passed on through generations, even with the obstacles of different cultures and language.
Suddenly, I wasn’t the girl everyone already knew who liked to dance, enjoyed going to the beach, and was adopted. I became the “new girl.” No one knew that my parents were white. They only knew that I was Asian. I soon began to question my assumption that being adopted was so great. People at Stafford saw me differently. They made assumptions about me. I knew in my heart that something was changing, but it took me a while to understand what it was.
The idea of adoption has been around far longer than the formal legal system of adoption in place today. In the bible, there is a passage detailing the adoption of Ester by her cousin, Mordecai, after the death of her parents. Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Babylonians all had their own systems of adoption. Adoption systems differ from country to country. United States citizens who internationally adopt today allow for the blending of cultures, languages, traditions, and ideals. In contrast, the practice of adult adoption in Japan is a particularly interesting system used quite differently and reflects a lot of traditional Japanese culture itself.
I remember the day she born. I was nervous for the simple fact that my life would never be the same. Soon no longer would I be known as just Ayanna, I would take on a new title. A title that I would share with so many woman, and after eight long hours of labor, I would now be known to the world as mommy.
A new year had just arrived. I can still picture January in my mind, the mood was sullen and dark, I could feel the cold reaching my bones, but now I know that was the best feeling I‘d ever had. I had only a few weeks left to start college, which had been my dream since I can remember. My dad had already paid for my tuition, I was so exited I had promised to do my best. Then, I realized there was an obstacle in my way. I knew I needed to make a decision on whether or not keeping my pregnancy, it sounds rough, but it was definitive. I did not want to miss school, so I was definitely not taking this to the last term. I just could not think of myself being prostrated in bed for so long, as an impediment to start school. Never, nothing would make me give up on my dreams, and that was another promise I had made to myself.
The day before my fifth birthday, Mother became ill. Now I know that it was because we did not have enough food. I remember she always ate last. We went to the local hospital but we were turned away because Father said the sign read 'local residents only.'
Misconceptions happen everyday in different situations, for example, not understanding a topic, hearing the wrong story, or not knowing the full story. Many people who hold misconceptions do not even know that their ideas are false or incorrect. A stereotype can be formed or made by an individual who is unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information they need to make a fair judgement about people or situations. Stereotypes occur because one forms opinions about other people based on their looks, appearance, and so on. An individual can stereotype a person who might be a member of a group who they have not had firsthand contact with before. Stereotypes are basically generalizations that are made about groups. A disadvantage about stereotyping is that it makes us ignore differences between individuals, therefore we think things about individuals that might not be true. One disadvantage about misconceptions is that it can place an individual to believe a story that is not fully understanded. One common misconception is that individuals see that child adoption is wrong, when in reality it becomes a miracle to many families.
In the United States two percent of all children in the year 2013 were adopted. Adoption has always been seen as positive impact on the child. However, this process is not always as perfect as one might have thought. Children who have been adopted do not always go through a normal life, some face difficulties and hardships from the adoption process. As a result of adoption some children face Self-Esteem issues, Social Interaction issues, and Attachment issues.
Chinese Cinderella was written by Adeline Yen Mah. This little Chinese girl began her life tragically after her mother died. Soon after that the Chinese culture marked her cursed as ‘bad luck.’ her new mother displayed distrust towards her and she fought through struggles to find a place where she belonged. These few chapters in the book remind me about how our world is still very similar to this girl’s story.
Last year I was able to work with a group to teach others about issues dealing with the children of today. I was approached by a group to put on an eight-hour seminar that concerns children. No one was sure what they wanted except that it would be with a church group that had a day care that operated during the day. I decided to take on the project and began to do my research.