The Stranger
With a quick hug and goodbye, I found myself sitting in a cushioned, yet, crowded airplane seat. Around me, the cheerful chatters filled the cabin with anticipation and excitement. I fidgeted, tapped, and wriggled, trying to find the most comfortable position for me to endure the twelve-hour plane ride to Taiwan. For the first time in thirteen years, my parents were sending me back to an alienated place they called home. I was dropped off at the front of a grayish, four-story building. Near the entrance, the bright red Chinese New Year banners hung along the sides of the metal door. I compared closely the nameplate beside the door with the address I had in my hand; the unfamiliar characters all looked alike. Even though it was winter, the humid air in Taiwan made my t-shirt stick to my back; the sweat drops crawled down, from my forehead to my neck. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. "Ding-dong! Ding-dong!" The heavy door opened accompanying a rush of festivity in the air. Then, a little girl in braids, wearing a red, cotton-padded shirt and trousers, appeared behind the door and stared up at me. Suddenly, she shrieked, "Mommy, daddy, there is a stranger at the door!" She was right. I was a foreigner, an ou
"You have turned out to be quite a lady!" she interrupted me and continued, "You look just like your mother when she was your age! Do you remember me? I'm your auntie. " Afterward, she rushed to my side, took my luggage, grabbed my arm, and led me inside the house. At first, I resisted her sticky, flour-filled, hands; nevertheless, she wouldn't let go. She gripped my arm as tightly as she could and seemed to be afraid that I would somehow disappear. I glanced around me; the living room was now filled with people, staring, pointing, whispering, and snickering at me. I broke free of my aunt's strong grip, took my own luggage, held my head up high, and marched right passed those people. After I had settled into the guest room and unpacked my luggage, I examined my self in the mirror. I had long, straight, black hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin. If I weren't taller and bulkier, I would appear just like any of my cousins and other Taiwanese girls I had met on the way here. However, I knew that it wasn't the height or the weight that made me different; it was something else. I was not Taiwanese, but Canadian; I did not speak much Mandarin, but I spoke English; my home was not Taiwan, but Canada. The relatives in Taiwan would never accept me, for they knew I was different and did not belong. "Oh! Great!" I mumbled, "I have to meet more strangers and memorize more names! What a great Chinese N
Some common words found in the essay are:
Year's Eve, Taiwan Canada, Mei-Lin Anna, , Ding-dong Ding-dong, Taiwanese Canadian, eve dinner, rest family, year's eve, year's eve dinner,
Approximate Word count = 944
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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