Michael Lo
Humanities I - My Cultural Identity
Many people can relate to the idea of not knowing where home is. However, I am completely sure of my home and my culture. My parents were from China, and I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Unlike others, I haven’t moved to different countries throughout my life. I have always thought of myself as a true Chinese. Therefore, because of my Chinese background, I was raised by my parents in a different way. They have taught me to treasure life, to strive for excellence, and to show respect to others.
One part of the Chinese teaching that my parents have taught me is to treasure every part of life. This includes showing an appreciation for learning. My mother would always say that learning is a treasure,
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When my parents tell me to do something, I treat it like an order from the General, and therefore I put it at the top of my priorities. I treat their needs before my own, because I have been taught to do that way. If my mother asks me to run down and get her medicine, I will immediately stop anything that I am doing to carry out her command. If my father feels cold and needs his coat, I run upstairs to the closet and bring it to him. I have been taught to even respect my brother, who is only four years older than me. When he returns from the United States, even if it is midnight here, our entire family rushes to meet him at the airport. The importance of respect in the family is never overlooked by Chinese parents.
However, it’s not only our parents that we have to respect, but anyone older than ourselves. When we eat lunch with our grandparents, they become our immediate priority. We push the wheel and offer them the first bite of any food that’s been served to them first. When they appear to need something, like a glass of water, it often becomes a race for those in our family to be the first to get it to them. When I go to my dad’s office, even though people treat me in a different way than any other child, I still have to show respect for those that care for me, as long as they are elderly to me in