This was a quick English paper on a little bit of family history, I need proofreading please =)
Dina Cheng
Thomas/Caffrey
American Studies ¾
2 April 2008
TITLE
The scent of the salty air from the beach and the splash from the hopping dragon fishes in the rice patties were some of the last things that my grandmother Kwok Ching remembered before she left for America. Being the oldest child in her family and the youngest to marry, my grandmother was also the first person to leave the only place she knew all her life: her hometown, Mawei, Fujian. The rice fields that she spent most of her days working, playing, and even sleeping on became fading memories of the past. There are, however, a few memories that she has always held dear to her heart, like the day when she finally broke my grandfather’s anti-social shield, warming her way into his heart and the time she spent in America.
My grandmother knew my grandfather since birth, but they never spoke a word to each other. My grandfather Wai Cheng was a quiet young man at the time and the village labeled him as the “silent cricket,” while my grandmother was the social butterfly. She was friends with everyone and she had many admirers who would send her love letters everyday.
Both of my great-grandmothers were best of friends and they would work together on both of their farms everyday. At night, both families would come together and sit and talk for long hours into the night. As my grandmother’s sibling and my grandfather’s little brother played together, my grandfather would sit in the corner and read books. My grandmother was always intrigued by him and she wanted to know more about him. She finally had the chance to talk to him a cool summer night when my great-grandparents told their children to go to the beach to catch some crabs. My grandmother enjoyed the outdoors so she was more than happy to go, while my grandfather refused. He was finally forced to go to take care of his little brother, who barely knew how to walk at the time. As they walked to the beach, my grandmother took this perfect opportunity to speak with him. My grandmother was silent half way to the beach thinking up of something to say. Finally, off the top of her head, she looked at him and asked “Hey, did you bring the buckets?” and from then on, both my grandmother and my grandfather became best friends.
When my grandparents were married, they had two boys and lived in a small cottage next to the rest of the family. My grandparents were quite happy with living their lives in poverty, and my grandmother always believed that “money was always spent on trouble.” Their lives changed when a group of men tried to kidnap my grandmother for money in her own home. My grandfather protected her, but they swore revenge on the family and came back to kill my grandfather. The police never came and my grandfather was badly injured. He suffered from internal bleeding around his heart and was sent to a hospital in Beijing to pump out the blood. While he was there, he decided that it was best for him to sneak on the plane to America in order to protect his family.
My grandmother never knew about his departure and received nothing more than a letter with a painting of small birds. One of them was locked in a cage while the other was free. It was five years since she has last saw her husband and she wanted nothing more than to be a happy family again. On a cold December morning, my grandmother grabbed both of her sons and five hundred dollars to pay the man who was helping her and left to America. She hugged her mother-in-law who was terribly ill and my grandmother promised her that she will try to give her a daughter, which was something my great-grandmother could never have.
The time that my grandmother spent in America passed right before her eyes. Within fifteen years, my grandparent opened two restaurants in New Jersey and had another boy. Their children received American names, but my grandparents wanted to keep their named because it was the only thing that they had that was theirs. The oldest was named Jeff, the middle child was Ricky, and the newborn was named Johnny. My grandmother and my grandfather moved to Rhode Island when their restaurant in New Jersey was robbed, leaving them with nothing. After their final move, my grandmother finally decided that it was time to pay a visit back to her hometown with Jeff, who was now twenty-four.
My grandmother tried to persuade my grandfather to go to China with her but he wanted to work on the restaurant that he was going to build in Rhode Island. The trip back to China was heartbreaking for her since the village that she grew up in was now destroyed. She found her family in a nearby village and stayed with them for a month. Everything has changed since she has been gone for twenty years and the beach that she used to catch crabs in was now polluted. My grandmother almost regretted coming back to China until she noticed her son taking an interest to a young woman.
By the end of the month, my grandmother witnessed her son proposal to a girl named Ling Xiang when she was crying over the death of her dog, Black Dragon. My grandmother grew fond of this girl and was glad that her eldest son’s proposal cheered her up. This was definitely something that she had to tell her husband when she returned to America.
On May 14, 1998 my grandmother was helping Ling Xiang into her wedding dress while a hundred thousand guests crowded the ballroom. My grandmother told Ling Xiang the great things that lay before her in the future. My grandmother also forced my grandfather to go and talk to the guests outside, but he plainly refused and stood in the back where no one saw him. The wedding was beautiful and my grandmother was happy to see some of her old childhood friends at the wedding.
The day after the wedding, my grandmother overheard that Ling Xiang was being deported back to China because the marriage papers would take two months to go through. She painfully watched her son sink into depression after his wife left. He was becoming anti-social “like his father” and was only happy when he received letters from Ling Xiang, which my grandmother saved all their letters and kept them in a box for them. When Ling Xiang came to America, my grandmother was happy because he knew that she would be able to save her son from depression. Within a month, Ling Xiang was pregnant with me. My grandmother and my grandfather prayed everyday that it would be a girl since they never had one. The news reached my great-grandmother who my grandmother promised years ago that they will eventually give her a girl that would have her blood. My great-grandmother was delighted to hear this, but unfortunately by that time, she was on her deathbed. On February 14, 1992 my great grandmother passed away and a month later I was born.
Oops lol
The scent of the salty air from the beach and the splash from the hopping dragon fishes in the rice patties were some of the last things that my grandmother Kwok Ching remembered before she left for America. Being the oldest child in her family and the youngest to marry, my grandmother was also the first person to leave the only place she knew all her life: her hometown, Mawei, Fujian. The rice fields that she spent most of her days working, playing, and even sleeping on became fading memories of the past. There are, however, a few memories that she has always held dear to her heart, like the day when she finally broke my grandfather’s anti-social shield, warming her way into his heart and the time she spent in America.
My grandmother knew my grandfather since birth, but they never spoke a word to each other. My grandfather Wai Cheng was a quiet young man at the time and the village labeled him as the “silent cricket,” while my grandmother was the social butterfly. She was friends with everyone and she had many admirers who would send her love letters everyday.
Both of my great-grandmothers were best of friends and they would work together on both of their farms everyday. At night, both families would come together and sit and talk for long hours into the night. As my grandmother’s sibling and my grandfather’s little brother played together, my grandfather would sit in the corner and read books. My grandmother was always intrigued by him and she wanted to know more about him. She finally had the chance to talk to him a cool summer night when my great-grandparents told their children to go to the beach to catch some crabs. My grandmother enjoyed the outdoors so she was more than happy to go, while my grandfather refused.
sorry it repeated
Both of my great-grandmothers were best of friends and they would work together on both of their farms everyday. At night, both families would come together and sit and talk for long hours into the night. As my grandmother’s sibling and my grandfather’s little brother played together, my grandfather would sit in the corner and read books. My grandmother was always intrigued by him and she wanted to know more about him. She finally had the chance to talk to him a cool summer night when my great-grandparents told their children to go to the beach to catch some crabs. My grandmother enjoyed the outdoors so she was more than happy to go, while my grandfather refused. He was finally forced to go to take care of his little brother, who barely knew how to walk at the time. As they walked to the beach, my grandmother took this perfect opportunity to speak with him. My grandmother was silent half way to the beach thinking up of something to say. Finally, off the top of her head, she looked at him and asked “Hey, did you bring the buckets?” and from then on, both my grandmother and my grandfather became best friends.
When my grandparents were married, they had two boys and lived in a small cottage next to the rest of the family. My grandparents were quite happy with living their lives in poverty, and my grandmother always believed that “money was always spent on trouble.” Their lives changed when a group of men tried to kidnap my grandmother for money in her own home. My grandfather protected her, but they swore revenge on the family and came back to kill my grandfather. The police never came and my grandfather was badly injured. He suffered from internal bleeding around his heart and was sent to a hospital in Beijing to pump out the blood. While he was there, he decided that it was best for him to sneak on the plane to America in order to protect his family.
My grandmother never knew about his departure and received nothing more than a letter with a painting of small birds. One of them was locked in a cage while the other was free. It was five years since she has last saw her husband and she wanted nothing more than to be a happy family again. On a cold December morning, my grandmother grabbed both of her sons and five hundred dollars to pay the man who was helping her and left to America. She hugged her mother-in-law who was terribly ill and my grandmother promised her that she will try to give her a daughter, which was something my great-grandmother could never have.
The time that my grandmother spent in America passed right before her eyes. Within fifteen years, my grandparent opened two restaurants in New Jersey and had another boy. Their children received American names, but my grandparents wanted to keep their named because it was the only thing that they had that was theirs. The oldest was named Jeff, the middle child was Ricky, and the newborn was named Johnny. My grandmother and my grandfather moved to Rhode Island when their restaurant in New Jersey was robbed, leaving them with nothing. After their final move, my grandmother finally decided that it was time to pay a visit back to her hometown with Jeff, who was now twenty-four.
By the end of the month, my grandmother witnessed her son proposal to a girl named Ling Xiang when she was crying over the death of her dog, Black Dragon. My grandmother grew fond of this girl and was glad that her eldest son’s proposal cheered her up. This was definitely something that she had to tell her husband when she returned to America.
On May 14, 1998 my grandmother was helping Ling Xiang into her wedding dress while a hundred thousand guests crowded the ballroom. My grandmother told Ling Xiang the great things that lay before her in the future. My grandmother also forced my grandfather to go and talk to the guests outside, but he plainly refused and stood in the back where no one saw him. The wedding was beautiful and my grandmother was happy to see some of her old childhood friends at the wedding.
The day after the wedding, my grandmother overheard that Ling Xiang was being deported back to China because the marriage papers would take two months to go through. She painfully watched her son sink into depression after his wife left. He was becoming anti-social “like his father” and was only happy when he received letters from Ling Xiang, which my grandmother saved all their letters and kept them in a box for them. When Ling Xiang came to America, my grandmother was happy because he knew that she would be able to save her son from depression. Within a month, Ling Xiang was pregnant with me. My grandmother and my grandfather prayed everyday that it would be a girl since they never had one. The news reached my great-grandmother who my grandmother promised years ago that they will eventually give her a girl that would have her blood. My great-grandmother was delighted to hear this, but unfortunately by that time, she was on her deathbed. On February 14, 1992 my great grandmother passed away and a month later I was born.
First Under NO circumstance post your name and school on the internet. It is dangerous!!!!!!!!
Next, I will proofread your paper by bits... Will try to get it finished shortly.