By Harn Chiu

As Asian American teens living in the 21^st century, there is a heavier burden upon us than the average person would guess. I mean...seriously, the pressure is on! We must constantly face the high expectations of the notorious Asian Parents, we must deal with what is left of racism at school, and although many of us don’t realize it, it’s up to us to preserve a small piece of Chinese culture in America. Not to dictate anyone’s future actions, but it’s true that many of us find support in fellow Asian teens. We complain about how the parents judge us by their My-years-in-Taiwan’s-and/or-China’s-schooling-system standards, about how every now and then we DO get tired of rice, and we rally up our so-called "Az14n Pr!d3" against the stereotype of the Asian gangster and Asian nerd. It’s a crazy world out there.

And that’s precisely why, or at least for many people, entire families become involved with Chinese School. For the victims—that’s us—it is a chance to meet more people like ourselves, people we can identify with and find support in. For the parents, it’s somewhere to send us when they finally think there is just too much Western influence stored up in our newly bleached heads of hair. (Oh, I know you’ve gone there.) While we are sent to Chinese School to reabsorb the priceless culture of the East, they get to mingle. If it sounds like an unfair deal to you...it is. But it is a sacrifice we make because our minds are the last refuge for the likes of Confucius and Li Bai. We must realize that Chinese School is not just a reason to wake up on Saturday mornings but a weekly battle to save what remains of the culture that gave birth to us. That institution that takes from our weekend sleep simultaneously gives something infinitely larger in return: it gives the Asian community a place to gather and to celebrate their ethnicity and history.

But wait!!, you say, Are you insane?? China is huuuge! They don’t need us to preserve their history for them! And you’re right. But it’s not exactly their history that I believe we are holding onto, but the very unique history that is ours. We have, unlike many other people, a very fortunate, very solid, and also very congenital foundation for success. Whether you want to save the world from the effects of global warming, become a doctor, or simply raise your children right, our attachment to both our American lives and our Oriental backgrounds provides for us a great chance that is rarely found in any other situation. We can claim direct influence from two of the arguably greatest civilizations in the world. Even more, our influence is not gained from slaving through college courses (yet) but from our everyday lives, affecting us on a very intimate, personal level. Our hybridized culture offers us philosophy that made China one of the most influential and long-lasting civilizations and technology that put America in the vanguard of world science. We absolutely must preserve this culture.

Letting go of the Asian influence that is inherently ours is letting go of the step up we have against the competition. Letting go of our American influence I don’t need to argue, as your half blond hair or the half blond hair of those around you should be constantly reminding you to hold on. And like I said before, Chinese School is among the best places to brush up on our history and our Chinese, and the only place to wait for the day when we Asians finally take over the world. (Just kidding...nobody get mad...) So really uphold your Az14n Pr!d3 and realize that it isn’t just about eating candies which have wrappers that you can’t understand, or about playing DDR and watching anime. It’s about recognizing and taking advantage of what Fate has given you and holding onto the new legacy of Asian Americans for our progeny years and years down the road. And I apologize for putting too many lame jokes in this last paragraph.