5 Things You Know Too Well If You're Quarantining With Your Immigrant Parents | The Odyssey Online
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5 Things You Know Too Well If You're Quarantining With Your Immigrant Parents

This one is for my first generation Americans

Ellen Khau
Mar 26, 2020
The Ohio State University
37
https://pixabay.com/photos/usd-rice-food-china-bowl-67411/

In This Article:

To get started, I identify as Chinese-American as I was born in the USA and my parents are of Chinese descent. They immigrated here from China in the 80's and have been here since. I personally haven't been back to my home country, but I heard it's got its ups and downs like all of us. But I'm also a college student, and like most college students today, I'm quarantined back in my hometown. But my experience is a little bit different and here's why

I can't understand my parents

So my parents are Chinese but they grew up in Vietnam, so they also speak Vietnamese. They're trilingual, isn't that neat? It is when they aren't constantly yelling at each other. I personally was taught Cantonese when I was growing up so that's what I understand. But they yell at each other every other hour in Vietnamese and I just hear doors slamming shut and things crashing

I should be back in my college town

I'm not living in a dorm, I still have a place to live near my college. I wasn't kicked out or anything, I'm still paying rent for my place while I'm in my hometown in fact. They were insistent on me coming home since it's better and safer than holing myself in my room all day.

Constant interruptions

They are constantly doing something around the house be it cleaning, cooking, or literally blasting traditional Vietnamese music in the background. Thank god for the mute button, but when it's my turn to speak or it's a group meeting? God, they can hear everything and anything with my mic apparently

Communication issues

Look, I'll admit I'm not the best at Cantonese. But it's not like I'm going to use terms like neural networks and data analytics in everyday conversation with my parents. But I can't even tell them, "Hey don't talk to me because I'm going to be in a club meeting". I'm simply telling them the most basic, I have something for school. That's it. I can say time, but I can't delve into anything more because I also don't know how to say Greek Life in Cantonese either.

Home Cooked meals

Aight, I'll give, this is pretty nice. There's no way in hell that my PWI is gonna have legit Vietnamese or Chinese food nearby. To name the ones I know how to translate in English, it's pretty nice to have Mapo Tofu or Pho ready, fresh and hot. The taste of jasmine rice is better than the dried brown rice of the dining location that I work part-time at my university.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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