The Choices We Make

Exactly one month after my 15 th birthday, I was surprised when my uncle picked me from school.   I was told during the ride home that my mother was sick but I did not suspect anything.   After all, she had cooked breakfast and teased me about being in a hurry to get to school to show the new clothes that she had got for my birthday.   Only if I had known that would be the last I will ever see her, I would have clung to her till the end, said a proper goodbye and apologized for ever having hurt her.   When I reached home, my father was crying and told me that my mom had died.   As I did not react, my brother screamed and tried to convey the loss to me.   Later I learned that my mom died at the hospital.   I knew that she had gone with my dad to see her cardiologist for a check-up; who then told my parents that she was having a heart attack and admitted her in the hospital. Within an hour she was dead.   It was a shock for all of us but it is I who did not realize the impact i

I have often wondered why Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States.  In many ways, I share their experiences.  Like 74% of them, I was also born abroad; and like half of them, I will say, I speak English very well.  Some other statistics and comparisons are also interesting and for some people, may explain why Asian Americans are more successful.  More than six-in-ten adults ages 25 to 64 who have come from Asia in recent years have at least a bachelor’s degree.  I had a Master’s degree when I came to the United States in 1984.  In spite of all the reasons cited above, I used to struggle to explain why Asian Americans do better than any other race.  This is because I didn’t believe that the reason for my success was the education that I had when I entered the country.  Being unable to explain, I could not share my experiences and help my brethren in my adopted country.  I found that being an excellent te