"Mama, where are we going?"

I asked, as a child barely nine.

"Is it to the country of maple leaves?"

I repeated with a different line.

"We're going to Canada"

These words changed my future,

I no longer dwelled in the land of five stars.

But grew in the land of blazing maple leaves,

To them, I would be from Mars.

Why did we have to go?

With a vroom the plane took flight,

Away from family away from a cage.

Away like my long lost kite,

I was nervous.

Why did we have to go?

When we arrived I gazed in wonder,

They had skin like ivory and eyes like sapphire.

I had skin of wheat and eyes of obsidian,

We dressed in different attire.

Why did we have to go?

It was close to when school would start,

A caterpillar sprung to a butterfly in my stomach.

Will l be set apart?

Will they be mean?

Why did we have to go?

The first day arrived and I was deprived,

Where were all my friends and the smell of soymilk?

I was a small boat with no compass,

Lost, I am terribly lost in a sea of milk. (1)

Why did we have to go?

Who is this girl?

Is she Chinese?

Whispers sprung there and here

Making me even more uneased

Why did we have to go?

I said hello and talked to them,

They were surprised that I could speak their tongue.

I felt more and more at home,

This is actually quite fun!

But yet again, why did we have to go?

Years and years later,

As I am writing this,

My curiosity grows greater:

Why did we have to go?

(1) Most Chinese are lactose intolerant so instead of milk most drink soy milk for breakfast and times when milk is drank.