family ties

By Kathy N

High school junior MT Chu may not spend most of his time with his family but that doesn't mean there still isn’t a connection between them. Through Chu’s life map, the quiet actions his family expressed shape the person he has become today.

Chu grew up in Vietnam with his mother and older sister. His father lived in America, earning money to send to his mother to get them over to America. At the age of five, Chu immigrated to America with his sister and mother, finally meeting his father.

Even though Chu was going to meet his father and should have felt happy, he remembered thinking otherwise at the beginning: “I thought my dad was a random neighbor.”

Even though Chu’s father wasn’t there for the first five years of Chu’s childhood, he more than made up for it. Chu’s father would take him out to McDonald's whenever he wasn’t tired and busy from work. He would buy Chu Happy Meals with what is considered girl toys, never once trying to pressure him to play with what is considered boy toys. He was just happy to see that his son was happy whenever he played with Barbies and dollhouses. It was his father's way of a quiet action to show he loves him.

Chu’s mother expressed her love in a different way than Chu’s father. Since he was little, Chu’s mother would make songs and rhythm things with Chu’s name. It was her way of showing she loved him. Even though Chu is now a junior in high school, his mother hasn’t stopped with the songs and rhythming that Chu said, “‘It makes me feel safe…she still showing me that ‘oh, I'm always here and I will never hate you and you’ll always be my kid.’”

Chu’s sister is a busy person. She’s usually working but when she isn’t, she is usually spoiling him. His sister spent a lot of time with him when he was younger, from doing his hair to having him tag along whenever she and her friends hung out. Chu and his sister may not be as close as they were when he was younger but that doesn’t stop the visible connection that still remains between them.

Chu’s sister would take him out to buy food, buy him toy monkeys or tiny babies, as well as clothes. She knew that he struggled with eating at home so whenever she could, she would take him out to eat with her or even to go get boba. It was her way of showing that she loves him and cares for him.

Chu cherishes the quiet actions his family does to show they love him. They shape the person he has become today. He may not know what is to come but he has his family to support him in whatever decision he makes going forward, even if it isn’t notable at first glance.