“No pain no gain”, echoes in my mind, as the hot sweltering humid air engulfs my room, baking me in the unbearable heat early one morning, during the summer after my freshman year of college. The thought instantly brings me back to memories of my childhood, where whenever I complained, my dad would retort “no pain no gain”. Back then, I hated hearing it over and over again. To me it was just something my parents said to stop us from complaining, and I never stopped to think why that one phrase was so important to them. Back in my room, while lying on my bed caked in sweat, the sound of freshly battered fish being dropped in a hot wok and the waft from a pot of freshly made congee fills the air. The combination of the overwhelming heat and …show more content…
Even things that should have felt familiar felt off. For instance there were 7-11’s down just about every street, but instead of coffee, hot dogs, and taquitos they served soymilk, boiled meats, and tofu. McDonald 's sold tea eggs, KFC served egg drop soup, and Pizza Hut’s were full blown sit down restaurants, complete with waiters and fancy tablecloth. Both my parents, who immigrated to America right after college, came after witnessing the infamous Tiananmen square protests, and like many other immigrants, they left family and country alike, following the dream to carve out a new and better life in America. Arriving at the age of 24 and 26, they knew no one but each other, and barely spoke english. Traveling cross-country looking for work, it took them ten years before settling down in California. They faced adversity in order to succeed, and they wanted to convey that spirit of growth under adversity to me. I realized that like my parents, in order to make the most of my stay, I needed to adapt to my environment. Over the span of my stay, I would come to call this my home. Despite the language barrier, I was able to meet and connect with many people both through my hosts and my