I landed a dream job after college, but it was in Seattle, far away from my close-knit family. I felt guilty leaving them behind.
The author debated leaving Los Angeles for Seattle. Courtesy of Sherri Lu I didn't have an extended family growing up; it was always just my parents, my sister, and me. When I landed a dream job in Seattle, I felt guilty for leaving them behind for the first time. I'm glad I decided to move because I found my independence. Growing up in the suburbs of southern California , I knew a few things to be true about my family. Most importantly, I knew that all we had were each other. Unlike my friends at school, we did not have any extended family. There were no big Thanksgivings, hangouts with our cousins, or sleepovers at our grandparents' house. It was just us four, navigating the differences between the Western culture we lived in and the Eastern culture of our roots. I grew up in Los Angeles as the eldest daughter of an immigrant family. My parents had left their motherland in search of new possibilities in this one. The only family they would have here was the o...