Connecting Cultures

Grace Park moved from Yunnan, China to Clay Center, KS with her husband and 3-year-old daughter last year. As a kid, she traveled through the Chinese school system, and she compared that experience to what she hopes for her daughter in the future. “It felt like there was a disregard for the other parts of life, like music, art, and creativity were pressed down, to be just obeying what people were telling you to do," she said. She thinks the reason behind this was the time that the generation before them grew up in. In her dads time working hard and getting a better score was rewarded with a better life in the future.

Grace is trying to make sure she doesn't reflect that pressure onto her daughter. “Here, they are letting kids naturally develop, not get this at a certain age or get a better score; they can just develop at their own pace.” She thinks that the American school system and America can be a lot healthier for them as a family, even though it's hard right now.

One of the biggest challenges of moving to the US was the cultural differences. Grace applied for a green card when she entered the country, and she has now received it. The process for getting a green card can be tedious, but she says it doesn't have to be once you research and use the government resources. Her advice was to keep your emotions out of it.  “It can be a stressful process since so much depends on it and your emotions are involved, but it can be very simple once you research and use the government resources," she said. The experiences she had in her life in China give Grace a unique and fresh perspective on a country thats hard to see the positive in sometimes.