1) Family
Words that come to me about my family: sacrifice, selflessness, determination, hope, resilience, comfort 2) Friends Shoutout to my roommate and partner-in-crime, Jennifer, for dealing with me 24/7 at Macalester. You are amazing for putting up with my organizational pet peeves, cleanliness, and PMS mood swings. 3) Education I cannot imagine spending my college years anywhere else but Macalester. The professors are genuinely passionate about teaching students, which makes me interested in the subjects that they teach. Plus, I enjoy living in the northern United States for a change. I've never lived this far north (where seeing snow is normal). 4) Food I'm somewhat serious about this one. Aside from comfortably have food and shelter daily, I'm also a super adventurous foodie. I can never imagine settling into a routine and eating the same foods every week. Bibimbap. Sashimi. Dim sum. Hot pot. You name it; I eat it. 5) Music Although I did not come from a musical family, I cannot see myself living without music. I have been in choirs ever since I was five. I'm not planning to make music related to my career, but music has made a huge impact in my life. I rarely express negative emotions through pure anger, and music serves as the gateway for me to vent emotionally. I listen to Cantopop and Mandopop ballads when I'm nostalgic and sad, K-pop when I'm feeling happy, Spanish pop and Bachata when I feel like dancing, and English songs when I want to sing along. 6) Globalization It has made it possible to learn about the world, whether it's through travelling to other places or have the culture of another place come to me. It's through globalization that I have immigrated to the US, learned Spanish, and picked up my interest in Korean entertainment. 7) Internet Not only does the internet allow me to watch my movies and Korean shows, it has also allowed me to go on Wikipedia article marathons, watch YouTubers who speak Cantonese (to increase my interaction with Cantonese and improve my language skills), read Hong Kong newspaper, and, last but not least, keep my Google Calendar updated. 8) Messaging Apps This is probably a sub-category of #7 but it deserves a special acknowledgement. Gone were the days of sending long update emails to my extended family back in Hong Kong. Now, I can use Whatsapp chat rooms on my maternal and paternal side to talk with all of my aunts and uncles, send them photos of my college, and practice reading the messages in Traditional Chinese that my relatives use. I also am thankful for Skype for allowing me to visually talk to my extended family for many years. 9) Google Calendar I cannot emphasize the role of Google Cal enough in my life. I schedule classes, meetings, office hours, work schedules, student orgs, and even meals and laundry on my Google Calendar. Without it, I would stop functioning. Google Calendar is the reason why I'm not drowning in homework and papers; I plan my homework sessions in advance. 10) United States Regardless of the current political situation, I'm still thankful that I was able to immigrate to a country that is able to offer me a better climate for education and socioeconomic opportunity. It's a country that allow protests to occur without horrendous repercussions and a country that strives to be the leader for others (even though we all may disagree on how to get there). Sure, I may joke about immigrate again (I did it once; I can do it again, right?), but I'm also loyal to this country. I CHOSE to live my life in United States and I will remain here through the good and the bad. I refuse to see the world through a jaded lens and am thankful that I have the ability to change the government by voting in the local and national elections.
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about mecollege student. junior. international studies major. over-the-top foodie. archives
February 2018
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