Expanding Waistline

Dear Dad and Mom, I received your letter from March 2nd. I was really deeply saddened to hear that your winter break didn't go well—especially that Mom fractured her left wrist. As you get older, you have to be so much more careful with everything you do; even a minor fall can cause a serious injury. I'm sure your Chinese New Year wasn't much fun because of that. Did you stay up to watch the New Year's Gala all the way through? Who ended up cooking the New Year's Eve dinner given Mom's injury? Did Wang Wei and Xiao Fan have the New Year's Eve dinner with you? If they did, that makes things a bit better, otherwise it would have felt way too quiet with just the two of you. Bottom line: please just be more careful from now on. When it gets cold, you need to turn on the air conditioning—otherwise, what was the point of buying it in the first place? Keep things in perspective; spend the money when you need to. Money is just a material thing, and besides, I’m already financially independent now. The A/C in my apartment is always running, so it feels exactly the same indoors all year round. It honestly seems like I'm living much more comfortably than you guys, and it breaks my heart to think of you freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer. Be a bit more open-minded about this, and don't just give me empty promise! Right now, we're on spring break. It lasts a week and is already winding down. The weather is absolutely gorgeous—it's warm enough that you only need a short-sleeved T-shirt. The winters aren't bad here at all; I've only had to wear a sweater for about four days total. I have plenty of clothes, so please don't worry. I have zero issues when it comes to food and clothing. In fact, I might be eating a bit too much—my waistline seems to be expanding and I think I'm putting on some weight. We're halfway through the semester now. I'm hoping to find a summer job to pick up some work experience and make a little extra cash, but who knows if I'll pull it off. This semester hasn't been overwhelmingly busy. The TA workload is heavier than last term, but it's manageable. I have 3 office hours a week and grade homework once every two weeks. There are nearly 120 students, so grading a batch takes several hours. Over the last few days, I got emails from two of my old Tsinghua classmates who both just received fellowships—one at NYU and the other at Brown. Both are excellent schools, and getting their fellowships is huge. It really seems like if you're determined to study abroad, you'll eventually make it happen. The classmate who got into Brown emailed me to ask if he should find a girlfriend and get married before heading to the States. I told him absolutely not—unless he’s already found the perfect girl. He's still so young, about three years younger than me. I'll catch up with you guys next time. Take good care of your health! Love, Tong 03/17/96