FIRST PLACE WINNING ENTRY
A "REAL" AMERICAN IS...
by Charlene Wang
What is a Real American?
As I sit here typing on a computer, I am asked a question. It's a short question and simple to answer: what is a real American? I figure, that's easy enough. I can probably say "a resident of the United States of America who's patriotic and believes in the
American spirit of freedom and independence." All I have to do is think of a way
to make this theme sound longer then I'm done. I can go plop myself on the
couch and watch TV.
As I cogitate over what to do to elaborate on this topic a little, my mom comes home from work. As usual, she kisses me and asks how my day was, then continues on to her usual routine of cooking, housecleaning and doing any unfinished work. This leaves me thinking of what a stressful day she must have had at her office, to be topped off by chores at home. Soon, my dad will come home and join her in the same pattern of drudgery.
Their whole life has been a similar struggle, everything from a simple objective such as cooking the salmon for dinner, to the long and hard fight to migrate to this nation.
Thinking about my dilemma again, I realize something new. My parents are ideal Americans.
Why would I say that?
I was born in China, in an overpopulated nation controlled by communists. My parents were among the better-off people in our country. They had decent jobs and lived in a house in a city where the rest of the family was just down the street.
Even then, when they were secure in a country where not everyone was, my parents had a dream of liberty. They wanted to go to a better place, a place where you could speak out against the government and not have to make your new home the neighborhood jail. They
dreamed of America.
In a nation of a billion people, it is hard to get out. It's hard to be one of the few people to have the opportunity to be allowed to move to another place when so many people want to.
Then how did they do it?
My parents spent all their time on their studies and went to the best colleges in China in hope that the US would want such good students. The US government did, and my parents were allowed students visas into the US.
Then, my parents had to borrow money so they could afford an expensive trip and schooling in American universities. They had to leave all their relatives behind in a distant country.
There was also one more thing. They had to leave me behind.
My mom and dad feared that life in the US at first would be tough and hard on such a small baby, so they made a hard choice, perhaps the toughest decision in their life, they left me with my grandparents. They wanted to take the blows of completely changing their life without me and bring me when life in America had settled down.
Did my parents have to leave all these things behind and move, did they have a bad life before in China? Not really. But my parents risked and sacrificed many things to come here, just for liberty. My parents truly believe the American cause. I would say what makes a true American is not knowing how to sing the "star spangled banner," but to sing it with all your heart and to sacrifice for that banner.
Like my parents.