Carpe Diem

Ashima is a feminine version of Asim, which means "boundless" or "limitless" This is actually the opposite of her life in America: as the most culturally conservative member of the Ganguli family, she suffers a lot from the life in the town. She couldn't fit the life here. quote: For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy – a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts. Ashoke is a variant of Ashoka, which means "without sorrow"; this name is directly This name was borne by Ashoka the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of India. Ashoke has come over a very difficult obstacle: a near-death experience of a train crash. However, he decided not to remember the disaster itself but all the other good things happen after it. quote: Though there are only inches between them, for an instant his father is a stranger, a man who has kept a secret, has survived a tragedy, a man whose past he does...

When, where, and why did your family (or you) come to the United States? What is some family lore that you know about this experience? Mention any connections, if any, to a country of origin and any traditions that your family has maintained across generations. I came to the United States when I was 15, and the first city I ever visited in the U.S. was Boston. At that time, I was admitted by a school called The Rectory in CT. There is not family lore behind this experience: it's just that we believe I can receive a better education in America. Since my parents moved out of the family mansion and lived in a city, we rarely maintain those traditional activities. Among those we maintained, one of them is called "Qingming", also known as the tomb-sweeping day. On that day, we will visit the tomb of our family. According to traditional Chinese folklore, the spirits will come back, eat the offering, and bless for those who are alive.