Eva Liang 

November 11, 2021

Sacrifice

Sometimes, a person’s decision will affect the fate of many people. Cross country brides were a form of marriage that only became popular in my hometown Guangdong, China after World War II. Even though Deng Xiao Ping initiated the country’s economic opening and brought a lot of employment opportunities to people, many people still could not find work for them. Because of this situation, most poor parents, especially farmers were still looking for American men or women to marry their children. They believed it was an easier way to change their lives through marriage. My sister-in-law is one of the women who decided to marry an American man. Her sacrifice allowed my entire family to immigrate to the United States and have more opportunities.

At the beginning of the story, my sister-in-law had to make a decision between her true love or her family. It made her struggle a lot when an American man fell in love with her. It caused her many problems because she already had a boyfriend. She had been in love with her boyfriend for a long time, and they missed each other when they were apart. Her family tried to separate them in every way possible. For example, they explained the serious situation of marrying someone from the United States and how it would be helpful for the family.  However, as farmers, they couldn’t have any better opportunities than to go to the United States. In addition, this situation affected the whole family’s destiny in the future. My sister-in-law was overwhelmed, so she ran away with her boyfriend and her father fainted because she didn’t listen to him. Finally, in order to appease her family, she succumbed and stayed with her family. 

Eventually, my sister-in-law created a new life in the United States. It is inconceivable how difficult it was for a beautiful young girl to leave her family and live with a strange man in a foreign country. However, her husband cared about her so much, and he was willing to do anything for her. First, he helped her parents immigrate to the United States, so she can reunite with them. Second, he opened a Chinese restaurant called Zhong Hua Kitchen to help the whole family. Their restaurant is popular with their Chinese food, so they are very busy every day. My sister-in-law and her husband both work with food orders and delivery. They get help from her parents who are the chefs of the restaurant. On busy days, they sometimes quarrel because of the wrong food order, but they resolve the problem before closing every day. They know this is a normal problem. Now, the entire family is happily working hard together in their restaurant. Gradually, she got closer to her husband, and she began to accept him. A few years later, they had two children, one boy, and one girl, and their family lived happily afterward.

Furthermore, she opened the door for me and it made my life easier. Her brother and I were classmates. We fell in love and married freely without any resistance from any of my family because of her help. I was very fortunate that I got to marry the person I love and not sacrifice to marry someone in order to become an American citizen. Even though it was a bit difficult when we first arrived in the United States, their help made it easier for us to adapt to life here. My husband and I have better jobs. My job provides better health insurance, 401k retirement, and more vacation. In addition, my children have had a good education and I have an opportunity to learn English. I believe that if I were in China, I may not have had economic support from the government because I am from a farming family.

I am very grateful to my sister-in-law, who took care of my entire family and helped us start a new life in the United States. Because of her sacrifice, we were able to live a better life than I would have in China. The medical services and retirement plan have been provided protection for our future. My children will have a better chance to develop their future after their education. Her bravery, greatness, and kindness are all worthy of me to learn and educate the next generation.