When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?
Currently listening to: You’re On Your Own, Kid – Taylor Swift
Matty: you’re not a typical Asian chick
Me: why do you say that?
Matty: you just don’t care what you wear, how many Asian females would wear a happy dad trucker hat
Me: i don’t follow trends, i actually got this a few years ago before the brand blew up. i like what i like..i don’t give a fck.
Matty: do you even know what happy dad is?
Me: hard seltzer with electrolytes
Matty: but you don’t even drink that
Me: nope
Matty: …
I’d have to say this happened when I started translating for my parents. I was taking on the formidable responsibility of translating for them at medical appointments, legal matters, school meetings with teachers, or other important documents. Imagine being the lifeline for your parents during important discussions, all while lacking any formal training. It was a daunting task. I constantly worried about miscommunicating, and the last thing I wanted was to get something wrong during critical interactions. Adult conversations that were often said behind closed doors were spoken in front of me…I heard a lot of things I shouldn’t have at the tender age of seven (when my English became proficient because Korean was my primary language).
My younger brother became my shadow. I took on the role of being his caretaker. With parents working opposite shifts, I was essentially the unofficial babysitter since my brother got us kicked out of the neighborhood daycare. In a day, I went from trying to figure out complex legal jargon to preparing meals and dealing with minor emergencies, like when my brother decided to challenge gravity by jumping from the top stairs onto the marble flooring. If my brother got into trouble, I got into trouble too because I wasn’t doing a good enough job taking care of him. My parents punished us severely for getting into shenanigans.
These significant responsibilities, though burdensome, played a crucial role in shaping my independence. I learned to navigate stressful situations and think on my feet. To this day, I dislike depending on anyone or asking for help, I would rather torture myself for hours and try to figure it out by myself.
I had to grow up fast and skip out on most of my childhood…that’s just the way it is when you’re parents are first generation immigrants.
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