Forum trends: China makes me different
Updated: 2014-05-06 07:57
( bbs.chinadaily.com.cn)
8. Better understanding of "family duty"
My cousin lives in Beijing with her 8-year-old son and my aunt lives with them on and off. Since living in Beijing, I visit my cousin and family every single week. In America, my nearest relative was an 8-hour drive away so I only ever saw my family once a year. American families are very different from Chinese families. Even though my family has lived in China all their lives, my aunt came to live with us in the US for a while to take care of me during the DC sniper scare. We also spent a few summers in China with my cousin. With my American family, I always felt like an imposition, but I never ever felt unwelcome with my Chinese family. Just spending time with them and listening to my students talk about the importance of family made me realize what "family duty" means.
