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Like most Thai people, I have a first name (aka my "real name"), a unique last/family name, and a nickname.
Our family name is unique in that no other family in Thailand has it. According to my father, that's just how things work. So, if you come across another person with my last name, they are probably related to me. My paternal grandfather was the first to use our family name, which was given to him by a monk upon arriving in Thailand, and all his descendants after him have opted to use it.
I'm technically "American," having been born and raised in the United States, but I am of Thai descent. (And for the ignorant, that's Thai from Thailand, not Chinese from Taiwan). I tell people that I'm Thai because when I say I'm "American," people think I'm trying to be difficult.
My parents were born and raised in Thailand, and my brother and I were raised with many "Thai values" in mind. Though my paternal grandparents were born and raised in China, I don't feel particularly Chinese. I have been told, however, that I look very Chinese.
I last visited Thailand in 1993. Most of my family lives in Bangkok, where my father is from, and in Chiang Mai, where my mother is from.
Though I was born elsewhere in the United States, the city of Mission Viejo, California---what I affectionately call "The Bubble"---is my real hometown. I was raised and educated there through high school. My family has happily lived in the same home since I was four years old.
Some call Mission Viejo small and boring, but I am not of that persuasion. I have yet to find a cleaner or more pleasant city in all of my travels. I feel safe, encounter friendly people, and get to live in a beautiful town. Life is almost disgustingly perfect there.
A small, private lake, Lake Mission Viejo, was a favorite haunt of mine. I learned how to sail on that lake---but not through the summer sailing program. I learned to love the sport (and yes, it is a sport) thanks to two "old salts" in the Lake Mission Viejo Yacht Club.
The Lake is also a great place to gather friends and listen to music in the summer. Through their Summer Concert program, which offers free admission for members, I have been fortunate enough to see James Ingram, Peter Cetera, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Page last updated: 02.28.03
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