That's My Family

           Rachawan and Boonsin are my parents. I am an only child. That’s my family.

            Lisa and Tobias are my parents. I am not an only child. That’s my family. 

In America, Thailand, or anywhere else in the world, my family consists of me, my dad, and my mom. My mom, Rachawan, was born in the heart of Bangkok and has lived a life I am only jealous of; she met Princess Diana and drove around in her own BMW at the age of 20. When I’m 20 and in college, I’ll call to tell her the grass was extra green that day. When I’m 20, I’ll call my dad asking what’s wrong with my car. Boonsin, my dad, is no short of the dads randomly revealing the most insane stories. From famous bass players to Netflix directors, my dad knows about everyone in every industry. 

My extended family all lives in Thailand. Growing up, there has always been a sense of isolation: it has always just been us three. As an only child, you have no siblings to play with or to rely on, and so your parents become your everything— before your angsty teen years at least. As an only child myself and despite my teenage years, my family— my parents— are everything: my support, my shoulder-to-cry-on, my advice-givers. Even distance doesn’t break our bond. During my exchange year, I didn’t see my parents at all. Despite the excitement of my life during this time and the fun I was having, one thing always held me back: my homesickness. But I didn’t miss home (there’s not much to miss from central Illinois). I missed my parents. That is my home. I missed the comfort that I grew accustomed to for the past sixteen years of my life.

 My mom, my dad; that’s my family: a family with a love for adventure and fun, a family who is always there for each other. 

In Austria, during my exchange year, my family consists of my host dad, my host mom, my host siblings, and me. My host mom, Lisa, is a baker and loves watching American rom-coms. I tell her that none of that high school romance actually happens. Tobias, my host dad, loves building and scaring me with spiders. For the first time ever, I had siblings. Sophie and I rooted for the same characters in the American rom-coms we watched with my host mom. Helene and I made and burnt a lot of cookies. Laurenz loves watching Paw Patrol, and he assigned me to be Chase the police dog.  

These people were once complete strangers (all I had known before was through the Instagram stalking I did). Yet, through less than a year, these strangers became family. Although they didn’t completely eradicate my homesickness, they created a new one. When I got back to the States, I felt homesick for Austria, for my family there. I missed our dinner gossip sessions. I miss our rom-com movie marathons. I miss my home, my family. My family sent a voice message of Laurenz singing Happy Birthday to me. I cried. Blood is not thicker than water, I learned. Family is everywhere, I learned. 

Lisa, Tobias, Sophie, Helene, Laurenz; that’s my family: a family with a love for adventure and fun, a family who is always there for each other. 

Rachawan and Boonsin are my parents. Lisa and Tobias are too. I am an only child, and I have siblings. That’s my family.


Questions for the Readers:

- What details should I add? What can I reflect more on?

- Thoughts on the tone?

Comments

  1. LenaJanuary 27, 2025 at 11:21 AM

    Sarisa, I really like how you give a unique take on this prompt. Not only do you write about your blood family, but you introduce another family that is important to you, ending your essay with the realization that family is everywhere. I like how you added a lot of small details about your family, like when you wrote that your host dad likes scaring you with spiders, because it allowed me to gain a little understanding of what they are like. This is also good because it helps your essay have more of a conversational tone, which is a requirement of a personal essay. I suggest that you add a few more details or stories about your family members, or possibly more details about yourself and your dynamic with them. I think that talking further on the different dynamics between you and each family member will display more honesty and personality.

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  2. Helen's Personal EssaysJanuary 27, 2025 at 11:24 AM

    Very well-written essay Sarisa! This was so fun to read through and I liked how you began with almost like a mystery with the 2 sentences before the first paragraph. While I was reading through the essay, I was trying to figure out who the people were. I really liked how you intertwined 2 stories under a common theme like family. To answer your question regarding details and what you could reflect on more, I think you could add a specific memory for your mom and dad like you did with your host family. Your tone throughout the essay is just between formal and casual where in some cases I could tell that it was more conversational and others were good reflections.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robert TuJanuary 27, 2025 at 7:38 PM

    I like how you used the example of a host family for the prompt and your use of repetition. For example in the first two sentences and how you describe your family as "a family with a love for adventure and fun, a family who is always there for each other,". I think you answer the prompt well, but could maybe add more of a story telling part in your essay. Maybe elaborate more on your mom meeting a princess, your dad's insane stories, the switch of being an only child to not, and how you bonded with your family in Austria to create a bigger picture.

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