When I came to the US 35 years ago, China had just begun to get out of poverty. What might be considered “middle class” was still very modest living standards. My parents pulled all their savings, and then borrowed some to buy a one-way airplane ticket, and to pack everything they could afford into 2 suitcases, and sent me off, not expecting to see me again for a very long time. Back then, we couldn’t afford summer break flights back home, or even long distance phone calls for more than a few minutes once a month. Yet I count myself fortunate. I had the opportunity to study in the US. I had my uncle and aunt in the US, who hosted me and supported me while I attended college in a foreign country.
My uncle and aunt came to the US for graduate school 10 years before, under much harsher conditions. When I came to the US, they had just finally settled down to stable jobs in their 40s. My uncle is not the talkative kind. Neither was I. But he made a point to say this to me very early on after my arrival to the US and left a big impression on me. I think about it often to this day. He said (my paraphrasing)—
This country is very open and accepting of immigrants. They don’t have to be and it’s not the case everywhere else in the world. Appreciate the opportunity you have—the fact that you are able to come to this country and hope to make a better living—it’s because this society and the people are open and welcoming. It’s a privilege to have. When you’ve made it, don’t forget that. Be part of this openness and kindness, pay forward.
Hemi.Zone 