1.When you were growing up, the pressure to succeed in school was so real.
2.Never knowing what’s inside the mystery plastic containers at your parents' house.
3.Constantly having to remind your non-Asian friends to take off their shoes when they come inside your home.
4.That frustrating feeling when someone assumes you're too “Asian” to be “American.”
5.Or you're too “American” to be “Asian.”
6.Your parents are flabbergasted by the new American habits you've picked up.
7.And in turn, you are confused about their "do as I say, not as I do" philosophy.
8.In school, having other kids make faces at your "ethnic food..."
9.And now having them glamorize it as a "food trend."
10.Forgetting your parents' language because you try to speak English everywhere else.
11.Then getting guilt-tripped by your parents because of that (and everything else).
12.But also literally feeling so guilty because your parents worked so hard to get to the United States.
13.And there’s that expectation that you will most definitely take care of them when they’re old.
14.If any of these jobs aren’t your profession…well…
15.Even if you are a doctor, you still have to be the BEST doctor who makes the MOST money.
16.And then there's wanting to please your parents, but also wanting to follow your dreams...
But without all these things, you wouldn't be uniquely you! And you wouldn't have it any other way.
Your parents were right about some things though: Planning ahead can lead you to better health and success. And doing something, even just once, can have long-term consequences. Smoking one cigarette a day can triple your risk of cancer. Learn more about the effects of social smoking from neverjustasmoke.org.
