Serena’s story

Serena

Background:

Serena came to San Francisco when she was 8 years old so she grew up and was schooled in American public school. Her parents are from Guangzhou and they came over to San Francisco to study and they applied for her, their only child, to come over as well. She adopted an English name after migrating to San Francisco.

On identity:

What it means to be an American: People are generally nicer, even if it’s on the surface; at least they try to be nice. Americans are helpful, courteous and we value honesty. In general, Serena thinks that American try to be more selfless.

On the other hand, China gives her the impression that life is always very busy. Most Chinese parents also emphasize hard work and want their children to study hard. In contrast, the education system in America encourages one to study what they like and to pursue their dreams. Serena had her first ‘proper’ job last summer interning at a research laboratory. She enjoys the financial independence and Serena aspires to make a difference and do something useful with her talents.

There is also a stereotype about Asian students as being really studious and are not as laidback compared to the Americans. Serena appreciates and understand the value of hard work but she believes that ultimately we should learnt to respect each other as individuals, ‘after all we’re all people”.

Serena does not rule out the possibility of her returning to China. Though she’s goes back to China (to places like Guangzhou) once every 2-3 years and enjoys the food, shopping, tourist lifestyle, she is not sure if she could live in China. Nevertheless, she’s willing to give it a shot if she manages to get a good job. However, Serena also mentioned that she would definitely miss her American friends.

Identity differs with respect to time and space

When asked if she identifies herself more as Chinese or American her response was “ somehow when I introduce myself, I always say I’m Chinese first. I don’t know why but perhaps I’m just more comfortable with being Chinese. However I think my identity also differs with respect to where I am. For example, when I’m back in China I feel more Chinese but in America I feel American and I don’t see too great a conflict between Chinese and American values.”

On Values:

Filial Piety- Her parents still keep in touch with family back home in Guangzhou and they remit money occasionally back home. Serena’s still close to her grandmother and Aunt in Guangzhou.

Sometimes Serena feels guilty about not going home as much as her parents would like but like she said she also has “a life out here in Berkeley”. However, she understands her responsibility to her parents and is willing to look after them if she is able to do so financially.

In her opinion, there isn’t specifically what we term a set of American values because SF is a melting pot of different race and religion. Hence, for Serena experimenting new things and in the process discovering her true identity is something she believes in.

On Religion:

Both her parents converted to Christianity after coming to San Francisco because when they first arrived, the Christian Asian community were really very supportive and helped them out in all ways possible. Serena is a free thinker and for her religion is something one must really believe in and for now she’s still searching.

On Food:

Serena’s a big fan of Chinese cuisine and most of the time she has Chinese meals.
For Serena, food brings people together. It was through a dessert making session that she met her Caucasian boyfriend Phillip who’s also very interested in Chinese language and culture. It was interesting that her parents are accepting of her boyfriend and do not have strong objections that their daughter is not dating an Asian.

On language:

Serena is fluent in both English and Chinese and she speaks mandarin at home with her parents. She listens to Chinese music and enjoys watching Chinese drama serials.

On Chinatown and Chinese culture:

“ Chinatown is a busy, noisy and dirty place packed with tourist. Oh but there’s a lot of good food there”

When asked if how she’ll feel if Chinatown was to be demolished Serena’s response was first to weight the rationale behind it and she feels that the government does not have the right to demolish a place with such rich culture and tradition. However, she also candidly remarked that she would not feel too great a loss because there are many other good Chinese food places in San Francisco.

Serena’s family still celebrate Chinese New Year and mooncake festival though it is more for the immediate family.

Social circle

Serena’s friends are mostly Asian Americans because in Berkeley there is a very substantial Asian-American population. Nevertheless, the primary reason is because Serena does not really fancy drinking and partying, so her friends are mainly people who do not really enjoy such stuff and the majority of them happens to be Asian Americans.

My first impression of Serena is that she’s a very demure young lady, very amiable and one can sense her kindness and passion in wanting to make a difference. She strikes me as a Chinese, who while living in America, has managed to assimilate into society without forgetting her roots and values. The tradition practiced may be different from that in China but her fundamental values are still very Chinese which was something I could identify with easily. Perhaps the fact that she came when she was eight and managed to learn the English language quickly helped her communicate her thoughts and ideas and in the process catalyzed her assimilation into society.

Janice