Lisa Cai (second from the right) poses with family.
Lisa Cai
April 25, 2018
As the country with the largest population on earth, China is home to 1.37 billion people along with speakers of Mandarin, Wú, Cantonese, Southern Min, Jìnyǔ, Hunanese languages and dozens more.
Although she wasn’t born there, junior Lisa Cai identifies herself as a native as both her parents were there and she was raised with the same cultural beliefs of the Chinese.
“I was born in Kansas and I moved to China when I was 2 with my sister and my dad,” Cai said. “We moved back to the U.S when I was in the second grade because my mom had a store here in the U.S and she wasn’t going to move away from it, along with the fact that the schools were better here than in China at the time.”
Despite not being fluent in the English language when she returned, Cai pursued to adapt to her new environment through her strong personality.
“When we moved back I didn’t know any english so it was a little hard in the beginning,” said Cai. “But apparently my mom said that I was really eager to be in the United States and she really believed in how persistent I was.”
Native to the United States, Cai still suffers judgment through common stereotypes and clichés in Frisco.
“People [in Frisco] often think that because [I’m] Asian I have to be really really smart or that I came from California,” Cai said. “I think that I’m smart, but apparently I’m not ‘Asian smart’.”
At home, Cai and her family enjoy eating native and common Chinese foods as their daily meals.
“We eat Chinese food everyday,” Cai said. “Most commonly we’ll have rice, fish, meat, and vegetables.”
Along with their meals, the Cai family enjoys celebrates Chinese holidays as a way to connect to their heritage.
“When Chinese New Year comes along we always make sure to get together and celebrate as a family,” Cai said. “We also enjoy to celebrate the Lunar New Year.”
Although initially learning English can be difficult, knowing a second language and being familiar with two polar opposite cultures can be benefiting, especially in the academic realm of things.
“I get to be bilingual and learn about my native country and America,” Cai said. “I have more knowledge and understanding of both cultures and topics such as schools, lifestyle, politics, and government and I can use that information in school work and essays.”
