Ancestry: My Grandfathers

Ancestry It all started with my paternal grandfather’s grandparents. They were simple farmers who escaped from Fujian, China to Singapore due to the imperialism war as well as poverty (Asia for Educators, Columbia University, 2009). Afterwards, they moved around in Java where they finally settled in Jambi, Indonesia, the place where my grandfather and my father were born. Within my father’s side of the family, we have a descendant called Peranakan (Chen, 2011). My father’s mother as well as his grandmother were called Nyonya, where they would have their hair tied in a bun and wear the Indonesian traditional outfit called Kebaya.

As for my mother’s side, her grandparents, who were fully Cantonese, were born in Guangdong, China and moved to Medan, Indonesia with my maternal grandparents before the (APSN, n.a.)

They also told me to do my very best in life where in the future, where everything will be sorted out. Diligence, kindness, integrity, humbleness and honesty, these are the things that I have learned from the wonderful family I was born in.

Social life

I grew up in the capital city, which is relatively developed, modern and safe. I went to private school instead of public school, therefore most of my friends are Chinese Indonesian and are mostly in the middle class to upper class range. In Indonesia, friends always come in a large group, where we always stick together and rely on each other. While in European culture, friends are more independent and a bit more distant when it comes to making new friends, although it was not hard for me to make some new friends when I came to Germany since most students are international.

A change of culture Moving and studying alone in Germany for the first time was exciting yet intimidating at the same time. I was able to gain a broader perspective of the world and experienced many different things that I was unable to back in