America: A Dreamland for My Parents

America is a nation built off of immigrants. Its roots were built off the travels and hard work of the many immigrants within its history and its borders. My parents are part of the group of such immigrants. My dad was born as a mere farm boy in China tending peacefully to his flocks of sheep and many chicken and ducks before he made the hard transition to a life in America as a young college student. But the prosperity and success that America promised made the movement less harsh and my parents learned to adapt to what they experienced and what they saw.

For my dad, the farm boy who had to give up tending to his many animal friends on the farm and frolicking by the riverside, life in Detroit "where it's tough" was definitely a major change in his life. However, the opportunities for growth demonstrated the splendor of the American appeal and the promise that it held for its immigrants: success and happiness.

For my mom, she was awed by the spacious nature of America and the beautiful scenes of nature it had to offer. The vibrant blue sky and tall, grand trees were something that she couldn't begin to imagine in China. Her love for national parks blossomed and she loved taking the whole with her to see them. As her passion for nature grew daily, my annoyance with national parks grew along with it. I guess when you see the same scene of trees, water, and mountain it kind of gets repetitive. But for my mom, every single scene was lovely and different to her. American promised the both of them many opportunities and it did not fail to deliver upon its promise.

Banff National Park. We flew all the way to Canada for this last summer.