The look of shock and horror on my pedicurists face when she saw my Hulk like feet was priceless . . . and embarrassing. I tried to calm her by mentioning, as casually as possible, that my feet needed some work ^.^' She was a very friendly lady who had relocated to the United States from Turkey. Listening to her gripe about her daughter's career change from dentistry to teaching made me think about the tensions we see between new immigrants and their American-raised children. As a child of immigrant parents myself, I know what this can be like. They have sacrificed everything in coming to the US to build a life; if you don't become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer then what are you doin' ??? Sometimes these tensions are good (they push you to do better and work harder) other times these tensions are bad (families end up having very strained relations). Our parents just want what is best for us and for us to have an easier life than they did. Are they really asking for too much?
Do they believe in us more than we believe in ourselves?
Do we each simply want different things out of our lives?
Are there careers other than medicine, law, and engineering that can buy you a Benz, summer home, and still make you a respectable member of your community?
I don't know, maybe.
In the case of my pedicurist, I think our discussion helped her to better understand what the possible options were for her daughter. She thanked me for explaining things to her and I hope that she and her daughter will be able to reach a peaceful middle ground. Things tend to get lost in trans-generational, cross-cultural exchanges, but I think a lot of times these can be resolved with a patient, informative, conversation (I know what you're thinking, when was the last time I had one of those?!).
On another note, I love making my own blend of ice teas and this weeks flavor is pear-lime iced black tea lemonade. Verdict: I've made better blends, but if you prefer your ice teas on the sightly less sweet side this blend is good.
And as promised - PURPLE PEPPERS!! Aren't they just the cutest????
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