She's Movin' Up to Kindergarten

Zoe was one-and-a-half when she started preschool in 2022.  I remember the moment we got the email offering us a spot, and how caught off guard we were.  It was a very well-respected and popular daycare / preschool and we loved it when we toured.  We signed up on the wait list thinking it would be a year before she'd get in, if at all.  But literally two weeks after we were waitlisted, we received the message and had 24 hours to decide.  It was now or never--we accept, or get moved to the bottom again.  We decided to pull the trigger, and just like that, our little girl was going to school.  

The morning of her first day of school, Zoe was quite the deer-in-the-headlights.  We prepared her as best as we could with reading books about school and discussing it with her.  We were advised to make the drop-off quick and casual, and to assure her simply that we will be back to pick her up.  We did what we were told, and it was so fast that we were left equally as dumbfounded as she was.  But we knew that it was a good place with a wholesome philosophy, clean and well-curated materials, and all that.  So we just left her there, to fend for herself.  Our little baby.  I'm sure that she was mesmerized by it all, people-watching and snack-eating were some of her favorite things to do.  While I don't remember how she reacted when we went to pick her up, I won't ever forget how much I looked forward to that moment every day for the next four years.  She cried when we dropped her off for the next two weeks, which of course made us feel terrible, but then, she was always busy and enjoying herself when we went to get her.  She quickly became very close to her teachers and loved talking about them every day when she came home from school, asking for them sometimes over the weekend.  We also became close to many of the families there, and to this day, still continue to meet and plan things together.  She learned life's first lessons in trusting in herself, and also the strength in leaning on others, in community.  We had the honor of re-learning those same lessons, as her parents.

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Zoe in Taiwan

Our trip to Taiwan with Zoe in November has made a lasting imprint on me.  It was not only Zoe's first international trip, but also her first trip to my parents' home country.  Taiwan is also the first (and only) foreign country that I traveled to when I was a kid.  I did not get to go frequently to be too familiar, but I do have core memories from my visits, and I have stayed connected to Taiwanese culture because of my parents.  All of my life, I knew that Taiwan was a meaningful place, and I think Zoe now does, too.  Now, I have core memories of her making core memories there.

This was also our very first long-haul trip with Zoe, and I was both nervous and excited.  Making this experience special for her was our one and only goal, and just having that uncomplicated mentality was such a freeing way to travel as parents.  It was going to be about her, and that honestly fulfills us most these days.  Though we chose kid-friendly activities and traveled at a kid-friendly pace, it was all still a big adjustment for her.  She took it well and was flexible and curious.  We are super proud of her!

Zoe, the Piano, and Me

"My name is Zoe Wong, and I'm going to play Shepherd Count Your Sheep and Old PigDonald's," Zoe announces to a small audience gathered on a few pews at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.  She takes a deep bow, pigtails dangling by her ears, one arm across her belly.  She quickly turns around and settles onto the piano bench, resting her feet comfortably on the footstool and pedal.  She places her fingers on the black keys and begins, from memory.  The sounds of the grand piano ring clear and true through the tall room, she knows the songs by heart and plays them without hesitation.  It was a full circle moment for me, seeing this performance, seeing myself in her... actually, seeing a better version of myself in her.  She was the first to go up, but she was not nervous--she was brave without even knowing it.  She took a hasty little bow and happily leapt off the stage when her turn ended with a big smile, running straight to Wes's lap.  My parents and Wes's mom sat behind us, beaming at her.  

Three months ago, a week after Zoe turned five years old, she stepped foot into her first piano lesson.  I am a kid who grew up with piano as a constant during my childhood.  It wasn't always easy and fun, but more a mixed bag of emotions...a love-hate relationship that eventually turned into a place of comfort and a source of pride.  Ten levels of music theory, book after book of Sonatinas and finger exercises, being expected to practice after school, and going to recitals and competitions year after year, must have at least in part molded me into the person that I am.  Playing the piano was not just a skill to be mastered, but a journey of discipline, self-determination and even, as I came to realize much later, a part of my identity.