The Butterfly Effect : My Love Story

I was born in Iran (or Persia), and lived there until I finished first grade. Around that time my dad was already a western medicine doctor, but he decided to attain a PHD in Chinese Medicine by enrolling in a program at “ Beijing University of Chinese Medicine”. Thus, before I attended second grade, my family and I, sold everything we had in Iran, in order to begin a new chapter of life in Beijing, China.

The things that followed up wasn’t as smooth as I thought it would have been, especially with the rigidness of academic driven chinese society. The school in China that I attended was no exception to the Chinese teachings, following a strict work schedule that kept me up until 11 on most nights.

My motherland was not like my peers in the United States, instead it was very different from my friends. I was born in China. My biological parents abandoned me in a box by a train station when I was only a couple of days old for an undisclosed reason. An adoption agency found the box, and then a few weeks later a foster family took me into their home and raised me as their child.

My international background has shaped who I am today because of the influence of my Chinese immigrant parents. My parents never had an easy life. My parents, who lived in poverty in China, immigrated to the United States hoping for a better life and to pursue the American Dream. They immigrated to the Unites States with no money and no knowledge of the English language. The language barrier alone created a mass obstacle for their early life in America. My dad had once told me that at the age of 13 he was already cooking for his entire family while working to provide financial support for his parents and siblings.

My move from South Korea to the United States was to this day the hardest, most stressful event of my whole entire life. At the age of six, I gave up the comfort of my friends, culture, and home to move to a country halfway across the world. Korea was everything I knew and loved. Having never set foot outside of the country, all my dreams and aspirations were set in Korea. Although I was a fickle child and my goals changed constantly, they all were intertwined with Korea. I was going to become a pianist in Korea and teach piano to students. Another time, I decided I was going to become a math teacher at the school I was attending. My view of the world was limited, but I was happy in my familiar, safe place. My move to America changed my whole perspective.

Our family moved to the United States of America when I was ten. My sister was 15 and although she was young, she was mature. I on the other hand was not, I was stubborn. With the experiences of education in our motherland, my sister found America is a great place for education. On the other hand, I refused to go to school because I was scared of not being

grew up in America and lived there most of my life, but had to go Pakistan, so I could learn more about my culture. Even though I had to live there for one year, it taught me so many lessons and taught me how easy I had it in USA.

Moving to another country without knowing the language and culture at the age of 15, was one of the most important decisions that I had to make in my life. I left my mom, family, and friends because I knew that leaving them would prepare me to become an independent person. Moving to the United States gave me the chance to learn a new language, and a better future.

Turning back the clock, after completing my preschool in the US, my family moved to India primarily so my brother and I could be raised in an environment learning our Indian traditions and culture. They wanted us to embrace our culture and most importantly, value our family relationships. I experienced my primary education in India and returned to this country for high school.

This is Shuchang Lou. I come from Nanjing, which is one of the biggest and oldest city in China. I am the single child in my family and that is a common phenomenon in new generation nowadays. My parents always encourage me to try different things, meet different people, learn different culture, and live a different life. I used to be a nurse in China for four years. My work is to take care of cancer patients in hospital day after day. My life was repeated every day. Now, I am in here in America! This is my adventure!

I close my eyes and picture how much my life has changed in just a short week. It’s crazy to think that only a few days ago I married Adam. He is the perfect man, tall and fit, yet with a heart of gold. His bone structure was fine and perfectly symmetrical. There was softness in his eyes and gentleness in his smile. All the more reasons why I love him.

I was born in America, however, my parents sent me back to China when I was 6 months old because of their living conditions. When my parents first came to America, their living conditions were so awful and they both had to work. Therefore, it was difficult for them to work and take care of me at the same time. My journey back to China was filled with wonderful memories. Throughout my journey, my Grandfather had always been my biggest supporter and his death left an impact on me that will last a lifetime.

Having grown up in two very different countries impacted my life in a way I never imagined and it opened up my eyes and made me appreciate what I grew up with even more.

Mine was more of economic. When my family migrated here in the U.S. there wasn’t much jobs available for my dad. He worked as a dentist in the Philippines but jobs there didn’t pay great amount of money. He studied nursing and got his license and became a Registered Nurse here. We were all so excited because we thought that here in America, there would be a lot of job opportunities.

Still, I cannot forget the moment that I entered into China. When I first came to China, I thought that in North Korea, I could do a business with the money that I would earn in China. However, as soon as going across the Tumen River, I was trafficked twice and thus I was forced