Natasha Week #6: From Taiwan to America


  A photo of me and my father 

Behind my family’s story is my father’s decision to leave Taiwan and start a new life in America chasing the American dream. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the military to fulfill his mandatory two years of military service in Taiwan. Once he completed his service, he took a chance and pursued new opportunities in the United States. 

Leaving Taiwan meant leaving behind his family, friends, and everything he was familiar with growing up. Having to leave his parents at such a young age and moving thousands of miles away from home was not an easy decision. Coming to America meant starting over, and learning a new language.

One of the biggest challenges of moving to America was learning and communicating in English as my father was used to speaking Mandarin and being surrounded by Taiwanese culture. Since he came to America to study, English was especially important in his everyday life, although he struggled learning it. 

A simple college homework assignment would take him ages as those electronic dictionaries could only help so much. It takes ages to type in every word he did not know, and on top of that, he had to search the meaning of almost every word which doubled his homework time.

Aside from the language barrier, another challenge he faced was learning to live independently without his parents. Back home in Taiwan, he was surrounded by people he knew and had a support system he could rely on. In America, he had to navigate through things himself such as something as simple as daily responsibilities. Many times he called his mom saying he wanted to go back home and give up, but he persevered as even having the chance to come here was a blessing and once in a lifetime opportunity.

Despite those challenges, he continued to embrace his Taiwanese roots while adjusting to his new life in America. He had to learn how to navigate a different education system, become comfortable in an unfamiliar environment, and communicate with people from different backgrounds.


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