Dear Dad and Mom,
I received your letter dated March 2nd. I was deeply saddened to hear that your winter break didn't go well, especially that Mom fractured her left wrist.1 As you get older, you have to be much more careful—even a minor fall can result in a serious injury. I'm sure that put a damper on your Chinese New Year celebrations. Did you stay up to watch the New Year's Gala2 all the way through? With Mom's injury, who ended up preparing the New Year's Eve dinner?3 Did Wang Wei and Xiao Fan join you for the dinner? If so, that must have made things a little better. Otherwise, it must have felt awfully quiet with just the two of you. Above all, please be extra careful from now on.
When the weather turns cold, please turn on the heat—otherwise, what was the point of buying the air conditioner in the first place? Spend the money when you need to. I'm earning enough now to take care of myself, and honestly, it seems like I'm living more comfortably than you are. It breaks my heart to think of you freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer. Please don't just tell me what I want to hear. I truly hope you'll do something to make life a little easier on yourselves.
Mom, you mentioned in your letter that some of the news articles you've read make America sound like a terrifying place. Honestly, that hasn't been my experience at all—it really just depends on where you live. Austin is a mid-sized college town, and relatively speaking, it's pretty safe. Occasionally I've walked home alone from the computer labs on campus well past midnight, with hardly anyone else on the streets. I was only a little nervous the first couple of times. Now it hardly bothers me, though I always stay alert to my surroundings. Please don't worry. I'll keep looking out for myself.
Right now, we're on spring break. It lasts a week and is already winding down. We're halfway through the semester now, and things haven't been overwhelmingly busy so far. I am the TA for a C++ course this time. C++ is a programming language that evolved from C, which I already know well. The workload is heavier than it was last term, but it's still manageable. I hold three office hours a week and grade homework every other week. Since there are nearly 120 students in my class, grading a single assignment takes several hours.
The weather is gorgeous at this time of year—it's warm enough that you only need a short-sleeved T-shirt. The winters here really aren't bad at all. I've only had to wear a sweater for about four days last winter. I have no problems at all when it comes to food and clothing. In fact, I might even be eating a little too well—my waistline seems to be expanding, and I think I'm putting on some weight.
Over the past few days, I received emails from two of my old Tsinghua classmates, both of whom have just been awarded fellowships: one at NYU and the other at Brown. They are both excellent universities, and receiving those fellowships is a huge accomplishment.4 It really seems that if you're determined to study abroad, you'll eventually find a way to make it happen. The classmate who got into Brown asked me whether he should find a girlfriend and get married before coming to the United States. I told him absolutely not, unless he's already found the right person. He's still quite young, about three years younger than me.
Take good care of your health!
Tong
03/17/96