Today was my first day of school, I woke up early and laid out the required school uniform. I didn't liked the way it looked, it was too formal for my taste. I grabbed a towel and boxers and headed for the shower. It was smaller than the one we had back in China. Everything here was different, size and style wise. I turned both the hot and cold nozzles, waiting for the perfect temperature to step inside. When I got in and closed the glass door, I let the water hit me for a few minutes. I wanted to relax a bit before I dreaded leaving the apartment.

Moments later, I realized I was humming a song that I wrote while in the middle of shampooing. I was going to sing it at my examination at Central Hill, the best music school in all of Asia. I have to sing in front of the examiners and they see if I'm cut out for their school. Since I can only speak fluent Chinese, they plan to go easy on me. If I do end up making it as a student their, I will have to be placed in a language class to learn both English and Korean. There are only a small amount of people that are from different countries, and there are even fewer students from China. Deep in thought, I noticed I was singing my song softly. I had each and every word memorized. The rhythm was burned into my brain. There was no way I could fail my examination.

It has always been my dream to take up singing instead of an instrament. I feel I can express myself better through my voice than something like a small violin. My parents wanted me to become a pianist. They pressured me really hard to become better at it. Sometimes I could hear father telling mother that I was a disappointment for a son, and she would always tell him that things could change. Those nights I cried myself to sleep, there hasn't been a day where I was proud of my existense. When I finally told them about me wanting to sing instead of playing the piano, they were shocked. My mom accepted my choice eventually and enrolled me at Central Hill. My dad, however, I feel as though he has become even more disappointed with me. 

I've stayed in the shower too long and didn't have much time to get ready. My mom had to come in and tell me to hurry up. I quickly dried myself off, put my boxers on, and headed back into my room to put my uniform on. When I was done straightening myself out in the mirror, I followed the scent of home cooked waffles into the kitchen. My mom was pouring the syrup on top and smiling at me, saying good morning to me. I sat on the stool and shoveled a forkful of waffles into my mouth, then moaned at how good it tasted. Mother was delighted to see me so happy, I knew she hoped I would be like this for the rest of the day. She packed my lunch; ham and cheese with mayo. After my examination is over, I have to stay there until the end of the day to get my feedback. I glanced over into our small living room, where father was reading the news paper. He was looking for a new job. 

"Did you find one yet, honey?" My mother asked out of curiosity. My dad sighed and picked himself up from the coach. His eyes trailed off into my direction and I quickly looked away. I was ashamed of who I was to him, I couldn't bare to look him in the eye.

"I'm afraid not, Jiao." His voice was filled with a little harshness. "Maybe if we were still in China, I could still be going to my old job." He directed his last words towards me. 

I felt my heart sink, the only reason why we moved was for the music school. There was one near I lived, but the building was old and falling apart. I wanted to take my chances in Korea, but my dad wasn't aware of that. My breakfast was becoming harder to swallow as I felt his glare on me. Mother took him back int