30

Yesterday marks the beginning of my 30th year living in this world. I started receiving "Happy Birthday" wishes on June 23rd here because it was already June 24th in China. Normally, my dad would send me a "red pocket", which contains several hundreds Yuan, on WeChat as a birthday present. However, with policies changed on WeChat about who can receive money using their app, this was no longer possible this year. Instead, dad sent me a gift card via Amazon US.

I came home after work on Thursday and found an unexpected Amazon package in the mailbox. I opened the package and there it was - a small, well-wrapped gift box with a red bow tied on top of it. Inside, there was a note that says "Happy birthday my only daughter From 老爸". I teared up a little because I could almost hear him say it in Chinese in my ears. The word "only" has a special meaning to it in the Chinese language (I don't think the same expression or use of this word exists in English). When my dad says that I am his only daughter, he means that I am very precious to him, and he cherishes me very much. When it comes to family, he never hesitates to express his love and care.

What is special about this gift, besides its message, is that my dad just started to learn English a few years ago on his own. He used a phone app similar to Duolingo and practiced English on it every single day for the past two years or so. To this point, he was able to write that message in English and figure out how to place an order on Amazon US (the process to place an order on Amazon US from China using a Chinese credit card is much more complicated than doing the same thing in the US) all by himself. I am very proud of him, his persistency and his ablity to learn/accept new things. Another fun fact that I can never forget is that my dad started watching American TV shows much earlier than I did, and I was already in the US at the time. In fact, he was the one that introduced Game of Thrones to me before I even knew that this show existed.

Turning 30 was never just about me. I turned 30 yesterday; my dad turned 60 exactly one month ago from today, and he is also retiring this year. If my grandfather was still alive, he would turn 90 this year. I get emotional thinking about how old my dad has become, and that my grandfather is already gone (he passed away last year from cancer). My grandfather's passing was devastating to dad, just like when my grandmother passed away more than 10 years ago. He doesn't talk about it anymore, but I know he misses my grandfather and blames him for letting go. I hope I can bring dad to the US someday soon to live with us for longer periods of time so he can have a different scenary and mindset. I hope he finds many new hobbies and gets to enjoy life more when he still can now that he is entering another phase of his life.

Happy 30th birthday to me. This is not a bad time to complete this chapter of my life and to head towards the next. There is so much that I can do and need to do for myself, my parents and my new family. I'm really looking forward to it.