I was asked to write about cultural appreciation. But what culture do I exist in? I live in the center of the great technological era in America. My parents come from the Chinese Cultural Revolution. From the outside, the American comes in. From the inside, the bent sapling of the Chinese culture pushes. The era I live in connects me to the whole world at once. The culture that I live in is complicated.

The two rebelling cultures in me that tell me the opposite. One that tells me to follow my dreams and get my dream job, live a dreamy easy life and be happy. The other says to do a lot of work, become an engineer, make lots of money, and live an easy life and be happy. But hidden in those two, is something else. You could call it a culture. Some wouldn’t. Some could see why it is one. This one tells me to follow my creator, and that life can be easy and happy, but it will also be hard troublesome and a difficult one.

With all these things, I really am living in the melting pot of America. Growing up, I only knew these mixes of cultures. Sometimes one seemed more dominant than others on my life, while the influence of others waned. Every single culture growing in my life is like multiple fruits, turned into one. Hoping for a ripe, sweet fruit for the future generations to pick, each one must be nurtured individually. Any one of these could make the fruit rotten, but only one is needed for a successful fruit. However, all three present me with a unique situation. I could potentially nurture a fruit that offers a completely new fruit to the world, and each bite drives the world in a new direction.

For this, I am thankful. My background is one that many cannot say they came from. The opportunities presented, the forks in the road, all different. I can cut the trail to a new land, where only rugged explorers have gone before. My thanks goes to the people who shape my life now, so I can shape the lives of others.