I’ve grown up with this crazy habit that I can’t wear shoes inside the house. My mom scolded me countless times because I broke this rule. This is partly because of a Chinese tradition of not wearing outside shoes inside, although it might also be my mom’s attention to cleanliness. Many habits of mine like keeping outdoor shoes outside have sprung from Chinese traditions. Being Chinese has affected me a lot. It has made me who I am.
Will you eat mushed-up eggplant my mom makes that looks like dog poop? (Well, at least that’s what my friend from school says.) Probably not. Most Americans will eat Chinese food, but it’s hard to find someone who will eat homemade Chinese food like my mom’s. I, however, have learned to eat Chinese and have become accustomed to eating everything stir-fired. We eat stir-fried peas, stir-fried broccoli, stir-fried tofu, stir-fried noodles—you name it. My favorite dish is stir-fried green beans with diced pork. Because many Chinese dishes have vegetables in them, eating Chinese has also turned me into a healthy eater.
Did you know I can communicate with a fourth of the world? According to Wikipedia, around a billion people speak Chinese and one and a half billion people speak English, and since I can speak both languages I can talk to about a quarter of the world’s population. By learning Chinese, I have essentially doubled the number of people I can speak to. Being bilingual wasn’t hard because I learned Chinese from a young age, thanks to my parents’ Chinese heritage. This has been super useful during our trip back to China because I can now order food in Chinese, have conversations in Chinese, and try to calm my nephew when he is crying in Chinese. (Yes, I have a nephew.)
I’m pretty good at math. That’s kind of an understatement. I’m in 4 th grade and I am currently doing math in 5 th grade this year, but the stuff I’m learning in school is still very easy for me. My proficiency in math was mainly because of the Chinese dedication to learning. Dad and I practice algebra for 30 minutes together every day. Yes, I’m learning algebra now! My math skills earned me some respect in class as “the smartest kid in the school,” so I think math is pretty important.
Sometimes, I feel like the Chinese dedication to learning has gone too far. I have three hours of Chinese and math classes every Sunday at the Chinese Sunday school on top of plenty of homework that my dad and mom assign to me. Chinese class is pretty fun because I have a very good teacher, but I don’t like math class. The teacher teaches very advanced math even for me and he goes through everything so quickly.
Even though sometimes I don’t like Chinese Sunday school and my homework, this extra work has made me much better academically.
I really have become a better person with Chinese culture. From new languages to math, being Chinese has affected me greatly. I am very proud of my Chinese heritage and I think everyone that is Chinese should be. It has made me who I am and will define what I will be in the future.
