the prodigal son returns... a generation later

On August 18, 1989, my father stepped off a plane at O'Hare International Airport and into the United States of America. Safely tucked away in his pocket was $80 scrounged from family and friends. All he had to his name were the clothes on his back, a few possessions in his suitcase and the American dream.

On August 18, 2009, I will land in Pudong International Airport in Shanghai and will eventually make my way up to Beijing where I will be living for a semester. With a wallet full of plastic, I will be wielding a good deal more purchasing power to be blown on fake watches, faux designer threads, and tacky Mao paraphernalia ("trippin' on mao" was my second choice name for this blog).

When my mom brought up this coincidence over dinner tonight, I was at a loss of words. Its significance, the parallels that can be drawn, the "deepness" of it... a whole book wouldn't do it justice, much less a single blog post.

Nevertheless, a quick synopsis: The changing global social-economic landscape. The American dream fulfilled/deferred. The vicarious homecoming of the prodigal son. Expectations on the next generation. A legacy comes full circle.

I’ll hopefully explore all of the above over the course of the semester.

During the next few months, I'll do my best to record the highlights of my day-to-day existence. I'll throw in nuggets of self-discovery as I come across them and maybe some amateur social commentary to keep things interesting.

20 years to the day. Just a coincidence? I think not.