I am a general pediatrician based in Manhattan, and I also moonlight on the side in various large pediatric ERs.
My story about coming to America is not a straight forward one. I was actually born in the US, returned to Asia when I was young (5 years old), and then came back again when I was 11. So unfortunately, I got the worst of both worlds – I was an anomaly in the ‘80s with my reverse immigration, so got picked on relentlessly by other children (they used to tell me to go back to America). When I returned to the US, even though I was US-born, I had forgotten all of my English, so had to go through the ESL system and start from the grounds up. I sometimes joke that I am immigrant, first, and second generation (my mother was raised in the States, and my father immigrated as an adult; they met here).
This unusual circumstance does give me a really good perspective of the world. I never truly feel like I belong anywhere, but it does mean I can accept people's viewpoints from wherever they are, much more easily than a native or an immigrant can. If one doesn't belong anywhere, one belongs everywhere. –Cheryl Wu MD
From China and back: Cheryl Wu MD