And why I choose the supernatural over the rational mind — It was another sweltering day in Guangzhou, China. My brother and I stayed in while my mom and aunt, with whom we were living, went to the market. …

Making it in the Land of Opportunity — I heard a gong-like bang that shook the floor. Abandoning my homework, I hopped off my chair and sped around the hallway into the kitchen. My uncle, glimmering in sweat, waved at me and said in Cantonese: mo see mo see (冇事,冇事) — It’s nothing! It’s nothing! Apparently the cover…

A reflection on finding spirituality — On a beautiful spring morning in May 2022, I called 911 to rush my husband to the emergency room. My son whimpered in his bedroom. I gently closed his door as I assured him that the commotion he was hearing was the doctor taking daddy to the doctor’s office. The…

An account of cultural misreading of a cherished American right — For the purpose of this article, “first-generation” specifically refers to Chinese immigrants who came to the United States during, or shortly after, the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1970s-80s; “second-generation” refers to the first-generation’s children who were born in the United States or arrived as children. “Do not suppress my…

A daughter’s reflection on this Mother’s Day — I hummed a tune while I sliced bananas into the blender to make a smoothie for my son. He cheerfully hopped onto his stepping stool to watch the action. After pouring his drink, I used a spoon to scrape off the banana peel and applied the paste onto my face…

Accounts from inside a kaleidoscope — The blizzard propelled me along Grand Street that traverses Manhattan’s Lower East Side like a conveyor belt of people and goods. As snow progressively formed a carpet beneath my feet, the wind suddenly blew me into a tizzy. As if blasted into a kaleidoscope, I zipped past colorful Chinese storefronts…