I wish everyone could have a Ba in their lives.

My Ba is my hero.  He came to this country shortly before I was born, so he could make a better life for his family.  He wanted a part of the American Dream, so he came here to be a part of it. 

I'd say he's done very well for himself. 

Ba is a teacher at a college not far from where we live.  He teaches Chinese to students who are thinking of traveling abroad; he has done this now for over nine years, and he loves it.

He works very hard at his job, and the students at the college love him.  I can see why:  Ba is a very sweet, honest, open man who isn't afraid to share his feelings or himself with others.

Ma is successful too, but she stays home to raise us kids.  Besides me, there's my little brother, Lee Xuang, and my two older sisters, Wie Pao and Jun Xie.  My name's Woo Ming, but everyone calls me 'Winnie'.  I'm ten.

Anyway, Ba would do anything for his family; that is why he works as hard as he does.  Sometimes he comes home all angry and flustered; when he gets like this, I'm always scared he is going to have a heart attack and end up in hospital, like my grandma PoPo did last year.  She nearly died, she was so sick.  If anything like that were to happen to my Ba, I don't think I would (or could) ever get over it.  My Ba and I are very, very close.  Always have been.

Ba has learned English beautifully (at home, we all speak it, but we also speak Chinese if we have to, like if we go to Chinatown, which is just a mile from our place); all us kids speak English as well.  Ma, she speaks Chinese most of the time; for her English is hard; it always was hard for her.  This is why we sometimes speak Chinese, so Ma can understand us. 

I wish I could tell you more about how Ba has worked hard to make sure his family has all they need in life.  He didn't get ahead easily; he worked hard at it, and he didn't quit until he got what he wanted.  This is why we have a nice house.  A nice van.  Nice clothes.  Food in our bellies and pets to play with and love.  If Ba didn't work hard, we would probably be on the streets, looking for someplace to stay.

Well, Ma is calling, so I will go.  It's time to help her with the laundry.  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Winnie Long saying so long!  Bye for now!

~Love, your new friend in San Francisco, Woo Ming ('Winnie').  :)