Joanne Yen is 25-years old but still sees tension in her family because of what she perceives as generational differences. Sampan took a closer look at those differences through the eye of Yen, an American born Chinese or ABC and daughter to Chinese immigrant parents.
Issues like the Chinese F were prevalent in her family when she was growing up.
“For instance, grades,” Yen said. “If I went home and I was like ‘Oh I got a B,’ my parents were like, ‘Why didn’t you get an A?’ If I got a 95 or even 99, they were like, ‘Why didn’t you get a 100? What did you do wrong?’ But I noticed that even if my American friends got an 80 or 75, their parents would say ‘Good job!’ or ‘Good effort! Try harder! You can do it next time!’ Their words were more positive.”
She wanted her parents to be like her American friend’s parents.
“There were even times when I felt that they were just too Chinese, they didn’t understand American culture. They don’t understand that I grew up here in America.”
You can read about what else Yen has experienced in Sampan and compare that to your own experience. Were your parents too strict on you? Were they too Chinese or too Asian? Let us know what you think.
