A life in between

Living in America, you are often seen to have unlimited freedom and can do anything with your life.  But that isn't always the case with children of immigrants. Often times the parents of these children came to America for a better life. To give these kids better opportunities in life in which they never had the chance to even chase.  This relates to Thi Bui's story, trying to find a way to escape their home country from war and violence to get somewhere safe, and hopefully get a better life. Because of this a lot of these parents are really tough on their kids.  

Take the example of school, for me a so called failing grade is a B.  I always used to wonder as a kid, why are my parents so tough on me. But now I realize that their toughness wasn't just based on an Academic mindset, but it was just giving me the best chance to succeed in America with my freedom. You see for Immigrant parents like Thi Buis and mine, the sacrifices they made were for a better life for their children, so it's no question why immigrant parents push their kids so much. 

But this toughness stretches more than just grades. Immigrant parents often want their kids to remain traditional, holding onto ways of their motherland. While preserving these ways is necessary, it can sometimes clash with American ways. For instance, Thi Bui talks about her decision of childbirth within the first chapter. She wanted to follow the traditional Vietnamese method passed down and used for generations, including her mother, but in America, that way had risks attached to it, forcing her to assimilate to the American way.

The life in between is both a challenge and a testament to the children's strength.  They must learn to combine their two worlds of doing things the traditional way but also assimilating to American ways. They have one foot in one and another in another by living this dual identity.