Into the New World
By Cynthia Jiang
It is a misty spring afternoon in Maine, and a Japanese family of four are posing happily in front of the shimmering Atlantic Ocean. A man, dressed casually in a puffy jacket and sweatshirt, crouches beside his wife, who dons more formal attire with her neat cashmere coat and wool scarf. On the right of the woman squats an old woman, presumably the grandmother, who places her hand on the mother’s shoulder in an intimate manner. All of them wear wide smiles as they squat beside their 8-year old child. He is dressed in an oversized Doraemon parka, and dons a Yomiuri Giants baseball cap with his untidy black hair sticking out at the sides. Unlike his parents, he does not grin at the camera, but looks off to the side with innocent curiosity, fascinated by his new surroundings. The family comes from the concrete jungle of Yokohama, Japan, and has journeyed to America in search of a better life. They have flown to Maine, driven to Cumberland County, and finally arrived at the Portland Coast. There, they are awed by the vast ocean, teeming with bottomless possibilities, and the glorious mountains, ringing with the sound of freedom. By the end of the day, they are convinced that America is where they belong. Their faces, beaming at the camera, glow with hope as they imagine the bright future ahead.
As I look at my younger self in this picture, an alien in a vast new world, I recall the unmistakable feeling that my life would forever be changed. I remember my awe as I saw the grand Atlantic and vast mountains, realizing for the first time the grandness of the world and my insignificance in comparison. I recall my exhilaration of moving to a new country, but also my apprehension, embodied by all four of us as we left everything in our old lives behind. Most of all, I feel the deep love of my parents and grandmother, who crouch in the picture to accommodate my height. They gave up everything for my future, and their sacrifice is something that fuels me daily, in hopes of someday making it worthy. Today, as I examine the faded faces on the worn photograph, I marvel at the way fate has shaped our lives, and how one leap of faith into the unknown created the person I am today. To me, it is living proof of our merit - showing us where we started, how far we have come, and consequently, how far we can still go.
RELATION TO THEME - FAMILY
Family is an important part of everyone’s life. The greatest sacrifices are often made by family, and through the highs and the lows, family is among the only consistent forces in one’s life. This fictional piece is a reminder to appreciate one’s family, but also is a tribute to every immigrant family that has made leaps of faith and faced trials to get where they are today.
