Inevitable Loss

America is a dream place where all the Chinese people want to immigrate. In my hometown, almost every family has one person who has immigrated to America. They see America as good as heaven, and they think that every perfect thing will happen over here. Even though they don't know what kind of life they would have over there, they also try their best to help their kids to get a better life in their place, and they think that their kids can get more harvest than loss there. According to those few years I have live in America, I know I have had some wonderful things here, but I have still lost some traditional customs, festivals and foods since I moved here.

The traditonal custom of the New Year's taboo is the first important thing I lost since I moved here. Chinese people attach importace to the Chinese New Year's day. The first day of the year is very important to the Chinses people because they think that if the first day is lucky, and the whole year will be lucky too. I remember that when I was in China, I couldn't do certain things to destroy the fortune in the Chinese New Year. I couldn't wash my hair, sweep the floor or drop the chopstick on the floor because they said that washing hair means fushing the money, sweeping floor means sweeping all the wealth out of the door, and dropping the chopstick on the floor means destroying the fortune. When I was a little girl, I needed to use a spoon instead of chopsticks. My parents worried about us dropping the chopstick on the floor to destroy the fortune. When I was in China, my mother wanted me to do that, and I always said that is too trouble, and superstition, but I lost this custom since I have been here. I have never done any of those in America. If you move to a new country, it is somewhat inevitable that we must lost the important things over there.

The traditional festival is the second important thing I lost since I came here. I remember that when I arrived here, my cousin brought me to downtown to see the night view. when I went into the center of downtown, it was a mesmerizing picture display in front of me, and Isaw the lighting decorated all over the trees and the buildings. It was like the Chinese New Year in China, the decorated lights everywhere. My cousin told me that Christmas is similar to Chinese New Year. In that moment, I didn't really believe what my cousin said, and I still expected the Chinese festival's coming because I thought Chinese people will celebrate their festival even though they were not in China. After one year, I knew that people are not ceremoniously celebrating all the traditional festivals in America. As a result, I know what is "While in Rome, do as Romans". When you immigrate to a new place, you need to adapt their custom and circumstance. I think I can adapt the new place, but I must lose some native things. When I came here, I lost the Chinese New Year, the dragon boat's day, and mid-autumn day. Otherwise, I have Christmas and Thanks giving here, and I don't have a lot of taboo in those festivals. It makes me feel more freedom.

The traditional food is the third important thing I lost since I came here. In my home town, people like to prepare different food for the different festivals. They make Rice Cakes in Chinese New Year. Rice cakes are a popular food in my hometown because in that day we cannot eat met. In the dragon boat's day, people make something shaped like a dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. we call it "zongzi". In mid-autumn day, we eat moon cakes, when we eat moon cakes that means people wish their family can get together. In America, some people have lost the traditional festivals, so they also have lost the traditional food. the traditional food comes with the traditional festivels. The like a twin, we cannot separate them.

Finally, when you move to a new place, loss is inevitable. Since I came here, I have lost my traditional customs, festivals and foods, but I have a new version of habit, food and festivals from now on. I need to celebrate the Christmas instead the Chinses New Year with my family who has been here for a long time. I can do something what I want in the taboo days. I can wash my hair, sweep floor and my parents don't care of drop a chopstick on the floor. I don't need to inherit those traditional customs, but I need to adapt to the new customs in America. I think my offspring will inherit those new customs and culture until they move a new place. Eventually, I will adapt to the new life, but I still miss the old life and what I lost from China.