tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post115316199427614335..comments2024-03-24T22:24:11.549-07:00Comments on Rice Daddies: Duty CallsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153421772597737732006-07-20T11:56:00.000-07:002006-07-20T11:56:00.000-07:00hey, she's only 13. she ought to be rebelling rig...hey, she's only 13. she ought to be rebelling right now. what's happening to the kids today? when i was thirteen, i was listening to heavy metal, smoking, shoplifting, messing around with guys, and lo and behold, trying to sharpen my chops as a creative writer. <BR/><BR/>i've always been compared unfavorably to a pretty, straight-a cousin who did everything right, and is now an ob-gyn workingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153246126065042632006-07-18T11:08:00.000-07:002006-07-18T11:08:00.000-07:00I think that poor little girl's piece perfectly ca...I think that poor little girl's piece perfectly captures the tension between first generation immigrants' ambitions for their children and second generations (and some 1.5ers too) balancing act.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153235509220916062006-07-18T08:11:00.000-07:002006-07-18T08:11:00.000-07:00I felt the same way as a child and I just finished...I felt the same way as a child and I just finished reading a children's book called "Diary of a Chinese School Girl" about a young girl wanting to finish her education even though her family could not really afford it. <BR/><BR/>I think I broke out of the mold when I did not go to medical school.Gia-Ginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09992947311477100789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153192797472560002006-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:002006-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:00La Dra,Personally, I don't know very many lawyers ...La Dra,<BR/><BR/>Personally, I don't know very many lawyers who have time to pursue much else besides work. And believe me, I know a lot of lawyers. <BR/><BR/>The choice isn't between a draconian sense of piety vs. a totally bohemian "follow your bliss" attitude. <BR/><BR/>The question becomes: how does one balance taking care of your family against a need for personal self-fulfillment. The O.W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12016225824431559881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153189863679957332006-07-17T19:31:00.000-07:002006-07-17T19:31:00.000-07:00I don't find it extraordinary that she has these f...I don't find it extraordinary that she has these feelings at 13, but I do find it extraordinary that she has expressed them so poetically. I was never pressured to become a doctor, lawyer or accountant because I was only expected to marry a nice Chinese professional. But I did always have that voice in my head that told me to be grateful by being dutiful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153172147577744012006-07-17T14:35:00.000-07:002006-07-17T14:35:00.000-07:00Maybe I buy into this thinking because I'm a gener...Maybe I buy into this thinking because I'm a generation 1.5 (born there; grew up here), but where would I be if it weren't for duty to community and family? I believe it still drives my actions today. Maybe the current generation of post-college grads living at home waiting to "find their bliss" or trying to meld their passion with their job need a reality check. There's nothing wrong having aAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153166113722466012006-07-17T12:55:00.000-07:002006-07-17T12:55:00.000-07:00Hopefully she doesn't get depressed about it and s...Hopefully she doesn't get depressed about it and spin out of control. Wiser family members should tell her:<BR/>1) If she is going to be a lawyer, she still can choose any undergraduate degree she wants. Anything technical (engineering, science, math,architecture) is a bonus and can only help her later<BR/>2) Maybe law isn't her thing. Her parents probably won't mind if she wants to be a doctor (Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21651465.post-1153165188897509742006-07-17T12:39:00.000-07:002006-07-17T12:39:00.000-07:00Wow.Was wondering how she came to do the "This I B...Wow.<BR/><BR/>Was wondering how she came to do the "This I Believe" piece--the NPR site says she wrote that at age 13 as a social studies class assignment... Interesting...<BR/><BR/>Still so much of a need for non-traditional role models to show that there are other ways to make it, to serve, to be successful.<BR/><BR/>Somebody's gotta tell her about landscape architecture. :)daddy in a strange landhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02838412669298860456noreply@blogger.com