Advanced Essay #2 From Asian to Asian American

From Asian to Asian American

Asian American, it is what I am right now. I was born in America, but I have lived in Hong Kong for most of my life. I never considered myself an Asian American, since I only spoke Cantonese. I was just an Asian who spoke decent English. However, after coming back to America for highschool, I finally know which one I am.

After I was born, I went to my mom’s and my dad’s country of birth, which is Hong Kong. here, I learned to speak and read Cantonese, and it became my mother language. I talked to my friends and my family in Cantonese. I studied subjects in Cantonese, but a lot of people thought I was good at English since I born in America. But I was just like those who were born in Hong Kong. Although I did learn English in Hong Kong, it was just  basic English, like tenses, and simple vocabulary. English was my second language.

There are two types of Cantonese, one is from the textbook and one is from what people speak. The one from what people speak is the easier version to the one from the textbook, so when we spoke, people would understand easily. We don’t speak the one from the textbook because it doesn’t sound good, according to my dad. When I said anything, nobody had problem understanding.I understood what people said easily, in school, at home, in the restaurant, etc. No problem. Also, I never spoke differently to who I was speaking, Whether it be friends or family, I spoke the same way every time, maybe when I spoke with elderly, I may spoke politely.

I was about 14 years old, my dad said he wanted me and my older brother to go back to where I was born to study for the rest of my life, because he wanted me to have a better life in America. My first thought was that it was a joke. There was no way I was going back to where I was born. I loved being in Hong Kong. But in reality, parents can do what they say and what they want, and because of that, I moved to America after third years of Secondary.

I missed my friends in here, I missed my family in here, since only my mom was going with me, I missed my dad the most, I just didn’t want to leave without them, also back I was about 3 to 5, I heard United States can have gun and Hong Kong can’t, and I scared about getting shot in United States. I just don’t want to leave. But at the end, me, my older brother and my mom went back to where I born to kept continue study.

After I went back to America, every things were new to me, the place, the people, the lifestyle, all were new, it liked I was learning another culture. Since I was not in Hong Kong, I needed to use my second language which is English, I could say my English was suddenly getting worse when I was using English in America. Like one time when we were in a restaurant, it was my first time I went to a fast food restaurant in the United States, because my mom’s English is not good, I was the one who ordered food, and it was my first time I spoke to a person whose mother language is English in the United States, I was a bit nervous because it was my first time spoke with American, I scared about he would not understand my English, and he did. In “If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?”, James Baldwin agrees to what language should be: “Language is also political instrument, means, and proof of power”. When I ordered the food, he had a hard time to understand my English, then my older brother saw that problem, he came to me and help me a bit. After that, we got our food and experience of how we spoke.

After the restaurant experience, I wanted to improve my English as soon as possible so that I could let people knew what I was saying and knew what they were saying, so I try to say more, write more, read more… Although I still struggle with English when I was in the school right now, at least I got better in my English compare to when I first arrived America.