A New Mocha Tradition is Born
I couldn't get away from the office yesterday when Cici was released from school for the holidays, so she and Ping went shopping at the Asian food market not far from Costco while I continued working. I called them when I wrapped things up, and they were at Costco. We will wait for you here, Ping told me. They already had a cart full when I joined them, but it was my job to choose a watermelon. None of the melons sounded particularly ripe to me, so I just did the best I could from what was available.
The girls were looking especially good. They love the colder weather because they have so many pairs of boots and warm clothing to wear. They were properly accessorized because they share their jewelry and things like the long mufflers that they wear around their necks.. I have noticed that Cici likes to wear some of the jewelry pieces that I bought for Ping. Ping loves jewelry, but she has a knack for choosing great looking pieces that are not expensive. She and I took my son to lunch yesterday at the Chinese buffet restaurant near our office and the owner was admiring the necklace that Ping was wearing. Ping in return was admiring the necklace that the owner was wearing.
While we ate lunch my son told us that he is interviewing for internships next summer, which he has learned is the best way to gain a full time position after graduation (he will graduate in December 2010) with his target companies. He is traveling to New York in a couple of weeks to visit the companies that are of interest to him. So far he has been selected for first round interviews with Goldman Sachs, Lazard, and JP Morgan, among others. He hopes to actually work in New York City with one of these companies because that is where their Latin American operations are headquartered.
Does he have a chance to work for these companies? Cici asked me yesterday evening when we were discussing the interviews. Well Cici, he is much like you will be when you graduate. He is fluent in three languages, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. These companies want language skills. They also want strong math skills. He scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT. They want strong academic skills. He has a 4.0 average in one of the most challenging academic environments you can find, and he graduated as class valedictorian from high school with a 4.0 average.
But he can't speak Chinese, Cici. You are fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and you will soon be fluent in English. By the time you graduate from college, you will also be speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish. You will also have top grades and you are strong in math. This kind of background is important to these international companies who handle big deals for multi-national clients. Maybe your brother will help pave the way for you.
By now Cici and I were sharing the mocha freeze that we bought at Costco. It tasted much the same as those at Starbucks, except there was no whipped cream on top. She had spotted the sign for them when I asked her if she wanted a Costco hotdog. No hotdog, she said, but how about a mocha? Do you think it will be good, Papa? Here, I handed her some money, you can find out while Mama and I go through the check out line. No, she said, I want to go together with you. Ping laughed at us, but I think she was secretly pleased that Cici wanted to start a new mocha tradition at Costco, just like our mocha tradition at Starbucks. She likes to share them with Papa.
The girls were looking especially good. They love the colder weather because they have so many pairs of boots and warm clothing to wear. They were properly accessorized because they share their jewelry and things like the long mufflers that they wear around their necks.. I have noticed that Cici likes to wear some of the jewelry pieces that I bought for Ping. Ping loves jewelry, but she has a knack for choosing great looking pieces that are not expensive. She and I took my son to lunch yesterday at the Chinese buffet restaurant near our office and the owner was admiring the necklace that Ping was wearing. Ping in return was admiring the necklace that the owner was wearing.
While we ate lunch my son told us that he is interviewing for internships next summer, which he has learned is the best way to gain a full time position after graduation (he will graduate in December 2010) with his target companies. He is traveling to New York in a couple of weeks to visit the companies that are of interest to him. So far he has been selected for first round interviews with Goldman Sachs, Lazard, and JP Morgan, among others. He hopes to actually work in New York City with one of these companies because that is where their Latin American operations are headquartered.
Does he have a chance to work for these companies? Cici asked me yesterday evening when we were discussing the interviews. Well Cici, he is much like you will be when you graduate. He is fluent in three languages, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. These companies want language skills. They also want strong math skills. He scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT. They want strong academic skills. He has a 4.0 average in one of the most challenging academic environments you can find, and he graduated as class valedictorian from high school with a 4.0 average.
But he can't speak Chinese, Cici. You are fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and you will soon be fluent in English. By the time you graduate from college, you will also be speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish. You will also have top grades and you are strong in math. This kind of background is important to these international companies who handle big deals for multi-national clients. Maybe your brother will help pave the way for you.
By now Cici and I were sharing the mocha freeze that we bought at Costco. It tasted much the same as those at Starbucks, except there was no whipped cream on top. She had spotted the sign for them when I asked her if she wanted a Costco hotdog. No hotdog, she said, but how about a mocha? Do you think it will be good, Papa? Here, I handed her some money, you can find out while Mama and I go through the check out line. No, she said, I want to go together with you. Ping laughed at us, but I think she was secretly pleased that Cici wanted to start a new mocha tradition at Costco, just like our mocha tradition at Starbucks. She likes to share them with Papa.
Lee, you have great kids, I wish them luck in thier lives, you and Ping must be very proud.
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Thanks Michael. We are quite proud.
Cici has some big footprints to follow, but I didn't push my son and I won't push her. It comes from within each of them. Ping thinks I am too soft with Cici, but I told her last night that the results speak for themselves. I remember very well how I refused to be pushed. I had to do it my way. It was a harder way, but it was the way for me at the time. I think that pushing a child only creates tension, so I just try as best I can to encourage them when they feel down, and inspire them when I can. It isn't the Chinese way that Ping thinks I should follow, but it works for me and it works for Cici.
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