I'm grateful for my grandparents

11-23-10 9:30PM My grandparents have been here since summer, and they're leaving next month. Actually, we only bought this house because they were coming - we needed the extra bedroom.

There's been a lot to get used to here. The air is different, the language is different. They don't have the kind of freedom they had in China, the freedom that comes with knowing a place well. They've had to get used to the schedule my family keeps, eating only one meal a day together, leaving them at home by themselves everyday. Grandpa has had to join in the fight over the one desktop we have, shared by me and my sisters. They are not used to the changes in temperature only Chicago can have. They are not used to our generational equality.

They've gained a lot from their stay. Mostly, I think, they need the laughter we bring, the noise we make, the sheer joy that having a loving family and children can bring. With only the two of them at home in China, they miss out on that. Of course they can visit my aunt, but they don't live with her.

We've gained a lot, too. Aside from having a clean home because Grandma cares about cleanliness more than any of us, and has time to do something about it, and real Chinese food every day, they've brought us closer to the Chinese tradition. We've learned that sensitivity toward the older generation that we maybe don't feel as much toward my parents. We've learned to be good hosts, and at the same time, family.

As they are packing their things and preparing to leave, they gave us kids each a present. To me they gave a book of oil paintings that my Grandpa loves, and a traditional red pocket, given as encouragement from the older generation to the younger. There is a much more precious gift, however, that they've given me. They went on my college visits this summer, and have seen what I can do. Their encouragement and faith in me is worth the most of all.