When I was growing up, my Mama’ taught me not to waste anything including food.  My parents always encouraged us to eat a lot, but do not waste the food.  Rice was one of them, if we were still hungry, do get a  second serving but just get only what you can finish.  Mama’ explained to me that rice farmers worked very hard to grow rice and they were low income people.  They used  their blood, sweat and tears to grow rice.  All the Chinese family will tell their children the same, because rice is playing a big part of Chinese culture.  Mama’ did not waste anything at all, she saved all the Chinese newspapers so that we could use them to start the charcoal to cook.  I was growing up with the left over food.  When we finished the meal and had left over, Mama’ always saved them in refrigerator.  She would add one or two more new dishes to go with the left over.  When we had a lot of left over rice, she would make a fried rice dish.  In case you did not know that this is the history of fried rice- the left over meal.

Mama’ showed me to love and care about the other people.  She got a busy schedule at home, but she always made the time to visit our relatives on both side of the family.  She would buy oranges or tangerines to give to our relatives.  Mama’ told me that we should  not wait until they got sick to see them.  You should make the effort to see them while they are healthy and cherish the time of happiness with them.  My Mama’ is a loving and caring person.  She was always giving, not taking.  She was a kind of person that anyone will feel love  and care whenever they meet her.  One day, she took me to the thai temple to worship.  She gave money to a few beggars in front of the temple.  I said to her ” Mama’ don’ t give the money to the young beggar, he is young and strong enough to find job and make money.  I think that he is a fake to make an easy money.”  Mama’ said to me that ” we are here to do a good deed, we are not here to judge people.  You don’t really know about him.  He might fall in a hardship right now.  Look at his clothes how dirty it is.  Do you think people will hire him the way he look?  Of course not, they probably scold him and beat him up with a stick.  You always help the other people if they need the help.”  I will never forget what she taught me.

At home, I saw how much my Mama’ really love my Papa’.  She didn’t have to tell anyone about that, it showed.  When Papa’ came home from work, she would  greet him with a smiling face and asked how the day go.  She would bring him something to drink and took his socks and shoes off.  At the dinning table, she put food on his rice bowl from different dishes with her chopsticks.  She said to him that I want you to taste this dish to see if you like it.  When Papa’ ate it, she would give him more without his asking.  She served the meal to him with love.  When Papa’ worked around the house.  She always wiped his face with a cold towel.  She always took care of him.  Today some Oriental ladies are still doing it.  You can see this kind of love only in ancient Chinese movie.  In today society we should give more unconditional love and understanding of each other.

Goodbye for now,

Mana

My name is Mana. I am from Thailand. I would like to tell you about my life story and how I made it in U.S.A. May be some of you can relate to your living life here in America. This Country of ours are truly land of opportunity.  There are so many  different ways of making money, if you set your mind and do it. I hope that part of my past experience inspired and help someone that read my blog. English is my third language. Please forgive me if I wrote in bad grammar. I try to write the best I can without any help, because I want it to be true and really from me. My first language is Chinese(Cantonese). My second language is Thai. So if you have the same problem I have, not to worry you will succeed too.

My first time flying is the time I flew half way around the world from Thailand to Hollywood, Calif. by myself. I tell you that it is very scary. You don’t know anybody and they don’t speak the same language you do. When you talk to them, they will say ” What did you say?” or ” Could you say it again?”. That is make you wonder did  you say it right or did I learn  English the right way? No one seem to understand you. I can see and how those Chinese people feel in the pioneer (cowboy) time. They must be very frustrated. I love and respect my dad a lot. When I was a little boy and woke up in the middle of the night. I saw my dad at his desk using English  to Chinese dictionary to read his English book. My dad had completed only third grade. My grand parent had  eleven children and my father was  the fifth child. My grand father was a carpenter and he did not make much money to feed his family. My dad ran away from home when he was eleven years old, so that his brothers and sisters would have more to eat. May be that is why my dad sent me over here to have a better education.  I don’t think he knew my English speaking got Thai and Chinese accent mixing so bad. No one seem to understand what I say.

I hope that you like what I am writing so far. I will continue my life story next time.

Mana