I have had four sets of parents, five including my real ones. Each of them has taught me an important value in life, which has allowed me to be the teen I am today. You may be wondering what I mean by having ‘four sets of parents.’ Ever since sixth grade, my biological parents sent me to study at an international school in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Being over eighteen hundred miles away from family, I needed to stay in a dormitory. There were other kids like me, who had also traveled far distances needing a place to stay while going to school. Most importantly, we had dorm guardians who were there to take care of us; hence the title “dorm parents” was given to them. Over the past four years, I have had four sets of different dorm parents. Undoubtedly, each of them has taught me key life lessons which I will never forget.

My first dorm parents were the Tibbetts from the US. Growing up in a Korean family, I was raised under the influence of Asian culture and language. Here I was, all alone, in a western dorm. It was a rough start. Everyone else was from the US, making me the odd one. I was already having trouble adjusting to my new school life, and the stress doubled as I had to cope with living in a totally new atmosphere. People would say all these American jokes and puns at the dinner table, and would laugh their heads off. “What do you call an American bee? a USB.” I understood what they were saying but couldn’t understand how that was funny. I laughed along with them although I had no idea what they were saying. So for a while I would pretend that I understood. Times were hard for me. There were many nights when I would cry myself to sleep because I missed my family; however, that’s when my dorm parents came into play. I soon realized that they were more than guardians taking care of my basic needs. Whenever I cried, they came to my side and encouraged me. They were interested in my personal life, and did all they could to help me. I was not their biological child, yet they treated me as one of their own. As a result of that I was finally able to adjust to the new life.

Thankfully, I came to a point where I was the one who started the jokes at the dinner table. The new life here became a blessing instead of a curse. Being a guy, there were many things I could relate to my dorm dad. As we got to know each other better, Uncle Scott began to teach me an important value in life. He helped me to open my eyes and view the world. I spent countless hours discussing current events and how the world functioned. Usually it was him who did most of the talking. Over time, my capacity to view the world widened. During free time, he would teach me how to play the game of Chess. Although I was never good at it (still am not) the game helped me understand that the world was full of strategy and tactics. I started to look at the world in different perspectives. As I kept track of the news and media there were questions I asked every now and then. My dorm dad was there to help me understand. My first set of dorm parents helped me to see the world and widen my worldview.

The next year, my dorm parents changed to the McKellar’s who had come all the way from Canada. I will always cherish the real deal maple syrup we ate on our hot pancakes in the morning. Real Canadian syrup on pancakes would melt in your mouth as soon as you took a bite. Every morning they would wake up extra early and prepare breakfast for us. This meant a lot for me, because it showed how much they cared. But the important value which they taught me was character. For our dorm chores, we had to weed the garden and rake the leaves. It was rigorous work and not fun at all. However, every time I grunted and snarled, Uncle Mark came beside me and helped me persevere. He taught me to be diligent and hardworking even under difficult circumstances. Now I look back at the many hours I spent gardening with him, realizing how beneficial it was to me. They continued to challenge me every day and helped me to mature. Thus, my second set of dorm parents taught me character.

Another year went by and my dorm parents changed again. They were the Canons from Australia. Starting from their awesome accent, I felt the warmth and joy from them right away. Uncle David was a strong guy with broad shoulders. Looking exactly like Daniel Craig, we always called him “James Bond”. They were carefree and relaxed, which I probably needed the most at the time. That year, I entered high school, and the work load increased. There were times when school got so stressful and difficult. Not only did the classes get harder, my grades actually started to count. Whenever I had a tough day, my dorm parents would encourage me and cheer me on. During the weekends, we went on a lot of outings and had much fun. One day, our dorm parents took us out to what was called the “Sticky Waterfalls.” It turned out to be a stream flowing gradually downwards. The whole rock was made out of limestone allowing us to ‘stick’ to the waterfall. Like Spiderman, we were able to literally climb up steep waterfalls with our bare hands and feet. We had so much fun splashing water at each other and playing with water. I will never forget I realized that it was important to find a balance in life. Life wasn’t all about hard core studying, but also being able to relax and have fun. Therefore, my third set of dorm parents taught me the importance of balancing my life and setting priorities.
By the time I started tenth grade, the Maurers had come all the way from Switzerland. I was greeted by their three sweet daughters. Their eldest was about to go to kindergarten, and the other two were still diaper babies. I will never forget the high quality chocolate they brought for us. Swiss food was the best. On Sunday nights, they cooked some special dishes for us. I noticed that they really emphasized dinner time. They encouraged us to be more of a family during that time, sharing how our day was with each other. Whenever there was a conflict between me and another person, they taught us to communicate with each other and resolve it. Once a week, I began running 9 kilometers with Uncle Chris. Although we did to work out and exercise, it was the deep talks we had that made it special. We would be an accountability partner to each other and share the hard things. Our relationship strengthened and grew. If there were any struggles in life, or any anger or frustration we shared it without hesitation. My fourth set of dorm parents taught me the importance of the family and building relationships with one another.

These four sets of parents impacted my life. They taught me many values which I will never forget. I am thankful for them, and they have done so much for me. They treated me as if I were their son. I would not be standing here if it weren’t for them. At some of the lowest point of my teenage life, they were there for me, and helped me to persevere. They have invested in my life, and I wish to do the same by pouring into the lives of others around me.