Dear Dad and Mom,
I received both of your letters, dated December 5th and 17th. I think it's wonderful that Mom will be retiring next year. It'll be such a relief, and I'm sure it will be much better for your health. Dad, I took care of that thing you asked me to do.
1 You should be receiving two packages soon: one containing application materials, and the other, information from the Mechanical Engineering Department. I hope they get to you soon.
From now on, I'll do most of the calling, so you don't have to worry about the international phone bills. I'll probably call every couple of weeks, around noon on the weekends. My phone bills are actually quite low because we keep our calls short,
2 unlike some people who can easily talk for twenty or thirty minutes. Mom, I know you always get nervous whenever you're on an international call, but there's really no need.
3 A five-minute call doesn't cost me much more than a fast-food meal. Even though money is still a little tight here, I can easily afford it. So next time we talk, don't keep worrying about the phone bill—just relax and enjoy the conversation.
Winter break started about ten days ago. Since then, things have been pretty relaxed. When I'm not doing anything, I just watch TV or head over to campus to use the computers. Getting to school is a bit more of a hassle right now because the campus shuttles aren't running, so I have to take the regular city bus. I ended up getting straight A's in all three of my classes this semester, which I pretty much expected. It definitely gives me a lot more confidence about my coursework going forward. I'll be taking another three classes next semester. I don't know what class I'll be TA-ing for yet, but I'm hoping for a lighter workload. The spring semester officially kicks off on January 16th.
Christmas wasn't overly lively, especially among the Chinese students, but the holiday lights are absolutely beautiful. Americans love decorating their houses, trees, and streets with countless little lights, and it looks amazing at night. On one little street, the neighbors have turned decorating into a tradition, and people from all over Austin drive in just to see the lights, causing traffic jams that stretch for blocks. Christmas over here is just like Chinese New Year back home: everyone heads home to be with family, and almost all the shops and restaurants are closed for the day.
A friend of mine originally invited me and a few others to Louisiana to check out the casinos—mostly just to see what they were like. But on Christmas morning, even though we got up at 5:30 a.m., we still missed the bus! So we changed our plans and went to San Antonio instead. San Antonio is a tourist city, famous for its River Walk, a canal lined with restaurants on both sides. With all the Christmas lights, the views there were absolutely beautiful. It's so picturesque that it reminded me of the classical gardens of Suzhou, and it really made me homesick.
Two or three weeks ago, I sent out some credit card applications, and a bunch of them just came through. I got a Citibank Visa, an AT&T MasterCard, and a Discover card. I managed to get approved for all the major ones! My combined credit limit is $2,100, which is more than enough for me. Making purchases will be so much more convenient from now on—I can just use a card. Plus, it's really important to start building up my credit history early.
In about two weeks, I'm moving. Coincidentally, one of our Taiwanese neighbors, Yao-zhu, is moving out too because she just bought a mobile home, which is basically a house on wheels, only it doesn't go anywhere. She paid $8,000 for it and told me that it's really nice and had everything—two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and it even comes with a washer and dryer. The mobile home park seems nice too. She repeatedly asked me to be her roommate, offering me a room for $200 a month plus half the utilities, which sounded tempting. At the time, though, I was already negotiating with that American student, and rooming with him would run me closer to $330. Compared to that, her mobile home was cheaper and just as nice, so I turned down the American student and told Yao-zhu I'd take it. But then a few days later, he called back and said he'd lower my share to $300. It left me feeling torn. In the end, I decided to go with him after all, so now I'm actually helping Yao-zhu find another roommate.
It's such a shame that the Christmas card I sent you never arrived.
4 I must not have put enough postage on it, and it probably got lost in transit somewhere. The card I sent to Chun might be lost too, so I'll write to her later to explain. I gave her a call two days ago, but she wasn't in her office, so I just left a message. Nothing urgent—just wanted to wish her a Happy New Year. Whether you invite Chun over during the winter break is entirely up to you.
5 I have a feeling she'll probably call to wish you a Happy New Year. Things between us aren't moving very quickly, and I haven't been trying hard enough either. I suppose the long distance makes it tough, and I honestly have no idea what the future holds. If she actually manages to get into UT Austin, it would truly be a miracle.
My handwriting is getting uglier by the second, so I'd better stop here.
Hope the New Year brings you everything you wish for!
Tong
12/31/95
P.S. Dad, the poem you wrote in your letter has a very distinctive style. I liked it a lot! :-) ← that is a smiley face
P.P.S. I actually got my hair cut at a real barbershop this time. It looks like the fine tradition of Chinese students cutting each other's hair has officially been lost!