I am from the streets of Guangzhou,
From the sweat and tears of my ancestors
I am from the land where children are not treated as children
From the place where my family and I call home

I am from the day I fell into a thorn bush riding my bike down a hill
I am from the hours spent memorizing multiplication tables and division drills
From the mornings my Cheerios were used to teach me addition and subtraction
From the days when all I wanted to do was watch Tom and Jerry
I am from the days I spent closing my eyes and hoping I wouldn't be the only Asian girl

I am from the moment I realized I couldn't speak English
From the moments of stuttering and messing up my words
From the moments I begged my mother to convince the teacher to exempt me from English
I am from lectures on colleges and extracurricular activities
From the tears I spent trying to jam information into my head falling in one ear and out of the other

I am from the hopes and dreams of my family
I am from these moments that nobody sees but assumes they understand
I am from writing my thoughts on a cold, rainy night.