rantings

I’m tired of people coming up to my mom and/or me and questioning how I’m going to survive in 台大 (NTU). They talk about how students here can’t read Chinese and can barely understand it and how writing and reading classes are going to be “real hardships” for me. All that junk about not surviving and getting low grades because I’m an ABC. It was fine when my family showed concern, but when it spread around the whole Chinese school community, my mom started getting questions from everyone and seriously, I don’t need your concern when I’m already aware of what I’m facing. What kind of answer are you looking for when you ask a question like that, anyway? “Oh, yes. It’ll be hard for her.” Fine. I’m seriously really annoyed. You think I didn’t consider all this when I spent virtually a MONTH making my decision to go to 台大? I can read, write, and speak it better than the majority of American-born Taiwanese students here. I’ve never lived in Taiwan but no one can tell I’m from America when I vacation there unless I tell them straight out because my accent is nonexistent.

I’m going to work so hard just to prove you wrong. Saying I don’t need your concern makes me a jerk, but I really don’t. Not from people who ask just for the sake of knowing. I know that even though I can read and write and speak it fairly well, I’ll have some trouble adjusting the first few months, or even just the first year in general. Perhaps my grades will fall; it’s something I almost expect. But it’s not your place to know about that or even point it out. It’s really none of your business.

Also, stop talking about how upset my family and I will be if we go to the airport together. I get that I’m going to cry before I go through security. I get that my family will be upset and probably tearful when they send me off. You honestly don’t think I’ve thought this all through? I’m leaving in five days. I think I would know better than you. Stop pointing it out; you really think that’s going to help anything? It’s rather insulting. Some questions are appropriate for family only. Not from people I’m not familiar with.