Change One Thing, Change Everything

Change One Thing, Change Everything

A small change can result in large differences in a later state; people call it the Butterfly Effect. The Chinese government has made such a change. China is a country with many unique policies, such as the Family Planning Policy, which is regarded as inhuman behavior by many western countries. The Chinese government released this policy in 1980 because of the rapidly increasing population. The Family Planning Policy regulates that each family should just have one child. However, this policy, which was perceived as a small change at that time, has made an immense impact on most Chinese people for many years. With the advent of the Family Planning Policy, my grandparents, my mother and I were all affected.

In the 1960s, the Chinese government put forward the idea of the Family Planning Policy, and it changed my grandparents’ lives. They decided to have more children before the release of this policy, and this decision made their life fall into bad conditions. According to their effort, they finally had six children, but that was not their initial expectation. Because of this, my mother, the sixth child of my grandparents, always tells me how my grandmother tried to drown her in a potty when she was naughty, and how my grandfather saved her from a potty many times. My grandfather had to work hard to raise their children; as a result, he became sick, and then he died when my mother was still a little girl. After my grandfather died, my grandmother lived in even worse conditions. For her whole life, she was an outstanding representative of thrift. Although her life condition had improved many years later, she never tried any expensive food or clothes. I promised my grandmother that I would make a lot of money and buy anything she wanted for her; however, she left us just before the beginning of Beijing Olympic Games. Like my grandfather, she was killed by cancer.

Because of the Family Planning Policy, my mother became a typical Chinese mother. She indulges me because I am her only child. As a child and even now, when I wanted to buy something, my mother always tried to satisfy my wishes. When I wanted to help her to wash dishes after dinner, she always stopped me, as if the dishes would become a bomb as soon as I touched them. My mother became my personal steward. Sometimes I even thought if I left my mother, whether I could live for twenty-four hours by myself. Moreover, my mother’s lifelong ambition is to keep me with her for her whole life. She can't leave me. Each week, she always reminds me that I need to go back to China after I finish my studies because there is a woman who misses her own son day and night. If I don't contact her for two days, I may find my name on the front page of the Chicago newspaper on the third day. The Family Planning Policy profoundly affected my mother’s character, and this is a universal phenomenon across China.

“Thanks to” the Family Planning Policy, I have been dubbed China One (means the only child in a family), which carries heavy sarcasm at present. As a standard China One, one can find all the China One’s characteristics on me, and most of them are negative. I was too self-centered, and I rarely cared about other people when I was young. There was always a voice that spoke to me and said, “I am the one who should be cared for by everyone!” This voice accompanied me in most of my adolescence. As my parents couldn't give me a brother or sister because of the Family Planning Policy, my computer acted as my partner most of the time. I had become a person who is good at talking by hand, rather than by mouth. Fortunately, most of my bad characteristics of China One inside my brain have disappeared since I came to America because I had to learn how to be independent so that I wouldn’t die in a foreign land. However, there are still remnants related to China One, which still remain inside my body because it is not easy to get rid of all of them.

Last year, the Family Planning Policy started to loosen. The Chinese government now allows married couples to have two children if one spouse is a China One. However, this policy has had a profound influence on my grandparents, as well as my mother and me. I have no ability to change my country policy; however, I can change one thing by myself, which is to immigrate to the United States, and that will affect my children, and my children’s children in a positive way. That will be my butterfly effect.

The High Cost Of Democracy

Hani Zeno

Mohamed Bouazizi is a young Tunisian man whose death began the Arab Spring. Nobody would believe that Mohammed’s act of burning himself would change the situation in the Middle East dramatically. It all began with the first spark from Tunisia when the people rebelled against the regime demanding their freedom. After the successful experience in Tunisia, the revolution was contagious. It crossed into Egypt from Libya to reach Syria. At that time, the Syrian people were waiting eagerly for the revolution in order to make their lives better, because they were suffering under the rule of the tyrant. As a result, everyone went down to the streets to protest against the regime and to demand freedom. However, in the long-term and due to many factors, the revolution has changed into a civil war. Therefore, many people wished that war had never begun because it turned their lives upside down. My family was an example of one of millions of   families in Syria whose lives have been torn apart.

 

The first and most important issue was that the war has affected the economic situation of my family. As a result, my family income has been cut by more than half, because my father’s job changed from being a paid to a volunteer. He began treating the injured and protesters from the demonstrations against the government in the field hospitals. The lack of doctors was the basis of his humanitarian obligation toward his fellow citizens. Similarly, my mother, who was working as pharmacist, had to quit her job because of the dangerous environment that stood in her way of work. In addition, the constant economic problems have influenced the country’s currency value in relation to the Dollar and Euro. Thus, the prices of important daily life products rose sharply, and  leading my parents to be in a very embarrassing situation and in fear of future hunger.

Besides the economic situation, the war has changed the social life in my family in terms of isolating us and making us short-tempered. Before the war, my family along with relatives was used to meeting each other frequently in order to eat and to spend time together.   However, when the war began, the conditions in my city forced my family to sit at home almost all day long, with no electricity or network services for leisure or socializing. Therefore, this led my family members to become so sensitive and short – tempered with each other. I remembered that I had a hard time asking my parents to do anything, because they were trying to bring up excuses in order to start an argument with me. Undoubtedly, the war was the reason behind their changed in attitude.  

 

 

Finally, my education along with my siblings was severely harmed by the current war. The continuous bloody conflict in Syria hindered many youths from achieving their goals, and left them desperate in their lives. Therefore, people have tended to leave the country in search of a better future. In my case, I have to confess that I was lucky when I had the chance to come to the United States to continue my education. However, it wasn’t easy to start studying in a foreign country, where everything is different in terms of language, culture and the educational system. Moreover, my sibling’s education has been influenced as well. My sister was forced to leave her school after she was one year away from graduation, because it was dangerous for girls to go out alone for fear of kidnapping. Indeed, for the long-term, the education issue will have catastrophic results not only on my family, but also on the society in general.

Today, when I remember what Mohamed Bouzizi did in Tunisia, I feel confused because I don’t know whether it will ultimately have good or bad consequences on my country. On one hand, he was the sparked of the Arab Spring in the Middle East that spread to Syria, to save the people who have been suffering from oppression for many decades. On the other hand, the unexpected changes that tuned the revolution into prolonged civil war are having effects on my family economically, socially and educationally. All in all, after the war’s experience in my country, I’m totally convinced by the saying, “Victory or defeat, war is hell and everyone loses”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staying Stronger Than Before

Staying Stronger Than Before by Aybolek Akyyeva

Millions of lives and many countries were affected by the downfall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  The USSR broke apart during the years of 1990-1991. The Turkmen Soviet Republic was one of the seventeen countries that broke apart from the USSR. My parents and their families lived under USSR period their entire lives, so when the USSR fell, it affected my parents and my grandparents. My grandfather was a doctor and my grandmother was a teacher, and they had earned and saved some money over the years. Later, they lost a lot of money and property due to the collapse of the USSR. However, government changed people’s lives forever and created a national financial crisis.  

  

When the Soviet Union ended its currency, the Ruble was worth almost nothing. It lost its value, so people lost a lot of money. My relatives, like many families during this time, saved their money in Rubles, so this created a lot of economic depression all around the country. The end of one nation was a beginning of another nation. The Turkmen Soviet Republic was changed to Turkmenistan, and we became an independent country in 1991. There were a lot of changes in the country when they started to rebuild a new government. When the new government took over the currency was changed from The Ruble to Manat. The Manat started gaining value and people were accepting to use the new currency.

During the period of change, there was no government to control the industries or organizations. Sometimes banks were not open or even if they were open, they were not regulated. This put people in panic mode because they didn’t know what to expect next, like closed government offices, banks, schools and more. My grandparents were able to cash out their money, but with lost value. They were lucky to get their money from banks, but they were not happy with the result. Some people did not find any way to get their money from the banks because everything was closing. Money that people had saved lost its value and was not accepted in many places. My parents were in this situation and lost their savings. They had to work long extra hours to make more money to recover from our family’s financial crisis.

The new government had a hard time controlling people and keeping them calm. Workers were not getting paid on time, which made people to start demonstrate. Many people didn’t get paid for two or three months, including my parents and my relatives. After some time, the government settled and started giving people a salary. My father got a job in the government in 1991, which made our situation a little easier than some people. The new president was selected and things began to improve. They did a good job with making people trust the new administration. The government paid the salary from before and pensions were given to people.

My family was affected financially and emotionally by the collapse of the USSR, but they were able to stay positive and make a loving family. My father’s job went well and my mom started working as a nurse. My parents did everything possible to give my sisters and me everything we needed. They bought for us all the necessary school supplies and good clothes. My parents sent us to good and prestigious schools. They were even able to send me to the US to study even though we were not a rich family. These unpleasant events taught my family to stay together and made us stronger than before. My mom and dad worked a lot to save money, so we would not have financial problems. They helped each other and supported us to have a better life.  

Sweet Journey

  

Sweet Journey

  I came to Chicago in September, 2013. For millions of immigrants, being in the U.S. means the entrance for a more liberal and democratic world. But for me, America is the destination for my sweet journey. I am a big fan of scooter. Back to home, I had my happy life on my scooter, Porsche. I thought that I would never stop riding a scooter in the rest of my life. Now I am disillusioned about the enjoyment of the scooter journey. Here is the U.S. where I can’t ride a scooter in the  bloody windy and freezing days ; Here is the U.S. where I can’t ride a scooter for a 5km long trip every morning  from home to school; Here is the U.S. where I can’t ride a scooter loading my imitate families. My romantic and sweet journey is doomed since my arrival.

  What I can’t do in American is what I enjoyed in my hometown. My hometown is a small village in the southern China. Unlike America, there are no trains looping around my hometown. Because the majority of residents can’t afford a car or a taxi, the scooter has become a popular and necessary means of transportation. Everyone depends on a scooter at all times. My small hometown is mere 94.75square miles.  The residents don’t bother to spend a lot of time in a long way to their school and work. Instead, going to school or work means couples of minutes riding on a scooter. However, now in America I have to suffer from standing in a sharp wind and wait for the bus or train every winter morning. I lost the nice beginning of a day that I rode my Porsche shuttling through the familiar alleys to school in a rush. Although I can’t rationalize my delay for school in America, I would always be punctual if I could ride a scooter in Chicago.

 Cheerful company shortens the miles. If a scooter driver wants a sweet journey, then they need company— wheels and the beloved fellows or family. Both of the two things I lost in my transition to this country. In my hometown, it is common to see a motorbike loading more than one person, even a couple or a whole family. It is a cozy and romantic affair which will be definitely against the traffic law in America. It’s necessary for the U.S. government to establish strict traffic regulations for such a huge traffic system. The laws bitterly destroy my sweet journey dream. I miss the days that I drove the tiny limo. My tiny brother stood in front of me and my mother sat on the back holding me tightly. It was crowed, but mingling with the ones you love is much better than with the strangers on a train. On our way, we enjoyed the breeze, the sunshine and the happiness of my family.  All those moments are gone.

    In America, the train delivers millions of people day by day. Now a train is only option for transportation.  A train and a motorbike are similar traffic options for a majority of low       income  people, but it doesn’t mean the qualities of both two journeys are equal.   Riding a motorbike is an enjoyable moment. When I was on Porsche, I captured the scenery all the way, greeted the passengers, smelled the particular scents from the kermis and took a sunbath.  In addition I felt close to my neighborhood. It is eligible to be on intimate term with the nature in a hermetic railway carriage.  On a train, the sight from the window is merely the outdoor advertisements and the roof s of buildings. What’s worse, I need to suffer from the repeat broadcasting, crowed passengers and stink.    The quality of a trip doesn’t  depend on how luxurious the means of transportation, but the scenery on the way and the mood of looking at the scenery.

      Porsche, my lovely mount, had run for over four years and traveled along my homeland where I belong. It used to be my best company in my growing path. Now it has been discarded in a garage since I left.  Every day I am sincerely thankful me to the U.S. where is a paradise on the earth. But my transformation is imperfect with the loss of a scooter. If you can imagine the picture of me riding on a scooter with my loving family,  you will understand why I cherish the moments on Porsche.

 

 

what make it different?

China is a country which has rich culture and history. Many people know China is the oldest country in the world, and there are many customs are handed down from the generation to generation. As a Chinese people, I am proud of my country in many way. Since  an ancient times, Chinese people is always paid attention to traditional etiquette, and the traditional festivals such as Chinese New Year, Mid-autumn festival and Dragon Boat Festival. After I immigrated  to the United States, I realized there are many of them customs was disappearing from my life;  such as food,home decorates and events. 

 The Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese people. It’s represents a new turn of the year. To live in the United States for six years, I always miss the traditional festive atmosphere that surrounded me in my country. In the past, my parents would buy a little orange tree and peach blossom for our home before New Year's Eve. At the same time, many families like to clean out their house which signifies sweeping away all the bad luck. Besides, many Chinese families post scrolls and couplets on the wall inside of home.We paid attention to every detail. For example, when the Chinese New Year coming I would place new bedding with bright color. Now, in Chicago my parents need to work on Chinese New Year, so they don’t replace any new plants or decorates at the home for Lunar New Year. Because there is no arrangement,  I don’t feel festive atmosphere anymore. In addition, I almost forgot those words that written on the red paper. 

Meanwhile, Chinese food is occupy an important role in every single holiday, and each New Year’s food has a different meaning.  The moral of the food is widely with the development of the times. For example, the Chinese word of  “lettuce” means the growth of  wealth. Therefore, on Chinese New Year's Eve it is accustomed to serve lettuce as a main dishes, representing earn more money for the coming year. Also, New Year cake represents a high payback. When I was in China, my whole family would have deluxe dinner together during the New Year period. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen those delicious foods appear in my kitchen in Chicago for long time. Some Chinese immigrants prefer  to buy from the market instead to making by themselves. Finally, I don’t have many relatives in Chicago, so I only have a common dinner with my parents and grandmother. 

 

Moreover,  New Year’s Gala and Flower Street are the hottest events of the New Year. The New Year’s Gala is a TV performance, which has different kinds of sections about Chinese New Year, such as comedy skits, comic dialogue talk and Cantonese opera. However, I likes walking along the Flower Street more than watching  TV show when I was in China. I remember I used to go each flower street around my home area every year. Every time I went to the flower street, I would recall many of my childhood memories. In Chicago’s Chinatown, there are has New Year Fair that plays dragon and lion dance instead of setting Flower Street. So far, I haven’t watch it because I want to stay warm at home. Luckily, we still can watch those amazing New Year Gala show in Chicago. They might not be the same, but still feel joyful when I watch them on TV.

      In general, holidays are a part of every culture even you are not living in your country , and it’s important to remember all the flowers, couplets and dinners. Sometimes,  I feel like I have lost the way of my life. However, I hope that every immigrants can remember their original dream, and not lose themself in American life. Although the American life is not easy since we think,we might get another new experience in the new environment. Growing in adversity would give you more courage and strength to build up future life.