Just the six of us

Yes, there are seven of us in the pix. I couldn't find one without my niece, so this will have to do. Please ignore the munchkin in the pix.

I learned more about my family and I during this trip. I am afraid of being alone. Even though I come from a family of six, childhood was lonesome for me, with busy parents and huge age gaps between my sisters and I. It was not until I was in college, that my youngest sister, Celia, and I began to bond. No such luck with my second sister, Sharon. According to my dad, she saw me as her mortal enemy as my parents doled out their affection to me, the youngest of four. This leaves my distant eldest sister, Shih-Lin, who we get to see once a year.

I got to learn more about my parents as well. My dad longs for friends that provide him with intellectual stimulation. He was strangely attached to this computer science professor from China, who didn't care for 1/2 of the trip. This is nothing. You should really visit China, was what he kept on telling us.

Then there was my mom. I always thought that she was selfish and traditional. Not that it was bad, but that's just who she was. It was not until this trip, that I realized that she gave up her retirement money to buy our house in Taiwan. And I learned that my maternal grandmother, who married a scholar, didn't know Taiwanese, the language spoken at her in-law's place. She had to learn the language and do all the house chores, a different world from her own house of riches. I also learned that my mom is okay with Shih-Lin being single, and with me getting married in city hall. It seems as if my dad is the one that is more traditional. Who knew.

Not to mention I learned more about how my parents felt about all of us. My mom thinks that Sharon and I have the toughest life out of all four of us. Shih-Lin only has to support herself, and Celia has Nelson to help her out. Then, I found out what they thought about me. According to my dad, I have the worst temper out of all the girls. Can you believe my dad told me this when I was apologizing to them for being crabby on the trip?

At first, I was caught off guard. That wasn't what I was expecting. Then, I realized that's my dad's opinion. Just so you know, my dad has a killer temper, so does my sister Sharon. His comment did humble me though, as I always thought of myself as an even-tempered person. Throughout the rest of the trip, I took many deep breaths before I spoke to my parents. As my bf would say, my purpose on this trip was to make sure that my parents had a good time, and I hope they did. Just maybe, I am not as bad of a daughter as I thought.