America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Arcadia, the land where I can open my pantry and be greeted by an array of snacks, the land where I don’t need to work after school, and the land where I can get what I want, when I want.

Growing up, I never really considered the hardships my parents had to conquer to give me the privileges I receive today. My parents both came from large families in Asia, my dad from a religious family in Indonesia and my mom from a hard-working family in Taiwan. Both of their families were extremely traditional and conservative, attending church weekly and participating in many missionary activities. My dad moved to Singapore at the age of four for a better education and to escape corruption that was rising in Indonesia, while my mother had not stepped foot on a plane until she was 20. My dad tells me amusing stories of his childhood, from escaping his nap times to breaking his neighbor’s windows, while my nostalgic mom fondly recalls memories of her life in Taiwan. Both of their childhoods don’t fall too far from mine yet, at the same time, they feel so distant. After many light-hearted years went by, my dad moved to Los Angeles on a student visa. He, staying with my aunt who had already begun her studies in the U.S. Since my dad moved to America alone, he had to work long, tedious shifts at a Japanese company during the day while attending college at night. He tells me about his exhausting and stressful hours there but also mentions the massive amount of experience he was able to gain. My dad laughs whenever he talks about his college life because there was so much to adapt to in America. Even something as small as driving on the right side of the road was a huge difference in lifestyle.

My mom finished her education in her beloved country and soon moved to America in search of a job and her burning curiosity to see if America was truly the land of opportunities. My mother too lived with a sibling of hers and loves to tell me the story of her purchasing her first vehicle: a used, red Nissan she found from an ad in a weekly newspaper. Not too long after, my parents met through mutual friends and began to get to know each other better.

During this time, both of them were working multiple jobs, and my dad was also working towards his business degree and citizenship. My dad describes his citizenship process as “exhausting but certainly a valuable and rewarding experience”. Shortly after my parents’ marriage, my mom began to work towards her citizenship by studying American history and trying to improve her English. My parents tell my sister and I that we are fortunate to be natural born American citizens because of the many benefits that come along with it. Without having to go through the years long process of becoming a citizen.I didn’t know until recently that just by holding a U.S. passport, I can visit more than 90% of the world’s countries without a visa. I often take my life and American citizenship for granted. Of course, I live in a first-world but I shouldn’t consider many things as given because without the foundation my parents had to build, but without the foundation my parents had to build, I wouldn’t be able to live the way I do today.

Graphic by NICOLE SOONG