My First Post

It has been almost 55 years since I came to the U.S.

I remember the long journey with my husband and our baby daughter from Hong Kong via Japan, Guam, Honolulu, to San Francisco, CA. Then, the final long, long leg of our travel from California to Texas.
Somehow, everything was a blur - we were all very exhausted by the many hours of traveling. We were young and knew no Fear. With only about $500 to our name, and no job waiting for us, we came to this land of opportunity.
Here I am 55 years later, with my three daughters grown and moved away, with my husband gone for the last 9 years, I am living in this small southwestern town in the U.S. by myself, painting, reading, and living a comfortable life.
During my life, I encountered wars, killings, and other happenings, not to mention the complicated family relationships. My friend Bob said to me that I need to Write It Down, before I lose IT (he meant my memory and/or my mind). Bob was right. So I would attempt to tell you my story.

                                                         me
I was born in Mukden, Manchuria, a somewhat bleak, cold, but large industrial city in the northern part of China, near Russia. I was told that the winters were so cold that if one forgets to wrap one's face in some scarves or wraps, one's nose would be frozen and could fall off. And when the wind swept down from Siberia, it brought tons of sand to Mukden. The houses needed three layers of window panes to keep some of the sand away.
My grandfather was in the arms business in Mukden. He apparently had a successful business there since he had a very large house with a stage built there for his hobby of performing Chinese opera with his buddies on weekends. My father, the first born son, was made to go into business with my grandfather instead of going into a University for further education after graduating from high school, In spite of the fact that he graduated at the top of his class at a Catholic school, Grandfather believed that it would be a waste of time and money. So, my father got married and he and mother moved to Mukden. I am not sure exactly when he and mother moved to Mukden, but I know that I was born there instead of in Shanghai where my mother came from.
My mother had gone to play Mahjong that day and did not get home until midnight. She was very pregnant with me at that time. However, they were not expecting to have me that early and I surprised them. Mukden, at the time, was not as modern a city as Shanghai. Apparently the doctor lived some distances away from our home and I guess that I was eager to come into this world, I arrived before the doctor.
The Amah (nanny) after cleaning me up, started to wrap my head up. It was the old custom that boys' heads were wrapped in such a way so that when they grew up to become officials in the court, their heads will fit those special hats - that was the Ching Dynasty way. I guess Amah did not want to acknowledge the Ching Dynasty was no longer alive and well. The Republic had already come.
Mother stopped the Amah, telling her that it is a baby girl, and not a baby boy.
I am glad that mother stopped the Amah from flattening my skull. Thank you, Ma.
p.s. I think my skull is still a bit flat on the back.
More later.