I used to know someone who didn’t like to be bounded by the traditions of her culture. She felt that tradition limited her in how she could behave or act. I loved this person a lot and I was influenced by her thoughts quite a bit.
I’ve changed my mind in recent years.
At the very core I am Chinese. I count in Chinese, I pay respects to my elders simply because they are my elders, I feel at home yelling over the noise in Chinatown and I generally understand what is expected of me by my culture and I usually act accordingly and naturally.
Last night when Kate was sleeping, she was laughing and talking in her sleep and she was speaking Chinese to herself. I smiled to myself that this little girl is at her core, Chinese. She may love speaking English, French, but the Chinese part of her, I hope, will be the center of who she is. She fights with me often about how Chinese is too hard and she gets tired of speaking it. I often tell her that this is who she is, as a Chinese person, language is her tool to understanding her culture.
There are words in every language that cannot even be translated and these words often define the essence of that culture. They may be translated but the meaning has changed slightly.
A few words maybe someone can translate for me
緣份 ：serendipity ??
道德 : integrity??
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