Am I Still Chinese Or Not Any More?

When I came and studied in the early 90s, I had to live in the student dormitory for the first quarter. I arrived too late and could not find a rental place. I had to buy the cafeteria passes since no cooking was allowed in the dorm. Food would be the best comfort when someone is far away from home. But I had to eat all the "lousy" American food. I remember that Thursday's dinner was the only once a week menu that I slightly looked forward to. It was either fried chicken or fried shrimp. The worst one was pizza day. I just could smell the tomato sauce a mile away as our kitty Gorme does for anything milky. But she loves it and I absolutely hated it. I would hold my nose, go directly to fruite or ice cream bar and grab one and run out of cafeteria.

That was more than a decade ago. Surely life comes at you fast. Well I might still not be crazy about pizza. But I love many other cruisines than Chinese. Even though Chinese may still be my very food for comfort, I become more critical as well. Well that will be on my another post.

No matter where I go, I always have some of Chinese colleagues and friends. I do not know if I have changed but they remain the same or I lost part of my very Chinese but they preserve it. I feel the gap of interest, the difference of perspective and ... Sometime they are so conspicuous. sometimes they are subtle.

I am still practical but become more idealistic.
I appreciate more of quality of life than quantity of material.
I still treasure money and wealth but not worship them.
I am more conscious of enviroment we all depend on.
I am learning to be more gracious to the others.
I believe that life is more adventure than a comfortable routine.

From me, my journey is more rediscovering of my Chinese root in comparison with Western system. After all, the world is so much in common and so different.

Still or not, I realize that I am finally able to be an American as a Chinese than try to fit in as an American.