Where Dreams Fly
- Zhejun Zhou
- Fremont
- UNITED STATES, 10-01-2000
- 16
The Golden State, a name that conjures up images of vast expanses of rich, fertile lands, and booming, ever-expanding industries. This is a state that has welcomed thousands of immigrants throughout the century, opening its arms to embrace all who had the will and determination to travel there. This is a state where dreams are born, where dreams are achieved, and where dreams fly. My parents were among one of those whose childhood dreams revolved around one day immigrating to the United States, and in particular, California.
Both born in China during the mid 20th century, my parents were raised in a time of turmoil and struggled to excel in school as the government of the People’s Republic of China experimented with its powers, which often disregarded the education system. To say the least, their childhood lives were almost nothing like the one I had when I grew up, filled with exciting and entertaining activities. My mother grew up in the province of Guizhou, studied earnestly through her middle and high school years, and received admission into one of China’s top universities, Zhejiang University. Similarly, my father, who was born in the Hangzhou city, worked diligently to become the top of his classes, also inevitably earning admission to this prestigious university.
Almost a decade later, both of my parents had stable jobs, and I had been born. As time slowly passed, however, my parents grew more and more aware of the fact that they weren’t content with their lives; they wanted to fulfill their potential, to achieve their childhood dreams. When she was offered a job in Singapore, my mother took the initiative and unknowingly embarked on a path that ultimately led my parents and I to the beautiful Golden State, California.
On June 6th, 1999, my mother stepped off the plane in San Francisco, a wide smile painting her face. As she surveyed her surroundings, tears of happiness escaped from her eyes, and she found herself almost unable to believe all that she was seeing. My mother had finally accomplished a life-long dream; she is the first member of her family to ever set foot in the New World. My father and I came a year later, and have lived in California ever since.
I was eight when I first moved to California, old enough to be aware of the events that occurred around me, yet still too young to understand the reasons. I remember arriving in San Francisco in the October of 2000 and awing at the diversity of the population; I had never seen so many blonde-haired, black-haired, and brown-haired people all in one place!
Soon after I arrived, I enrolled in third grade, and formally began my education here in the United States. Yet, having spent the first eight years of my life in China, Mandarin was my first language, and during the first few years of elementary school, I struggled to become proficient in English. Fortunately, I managed to successfully grasp the language by fifth grade, and have fit in quite well since then with the rest of my peers.
Nine years later, my parents have both found stable jobs here in the Silicon Valley doing what they love, and I will be attending my last year of high school in the fall. My life here so far has taught me a plethora of valuable lessons, and I am certain that I will learn many more in the future. My parents and I have created our own little worlds in the New World, and I am both thankful and proud of my mother and father for having immigrated here despite all the odds, bestowing me a better chance at success than I ever could have earned for myself in China. California is a truly magical place, and I will strive to create even better lives for the next generation of immigrants, just as my parents did for me.