MEI LU

1. IMPORTANT EVENTS

1.1. Being admitted to MiT

1.2. Her father cleared his throat: "MIT is your first step to a good life " p.15

1.3. Her mother wants her to marry her friend's son. She tells Mei: "Eugene Huang, a senior at Harvard will be a good husband" p. 7

1.4. Mei meets Darren, a Japanese boy. Her mother does not agree

1.5. "No Japanese, white, black or Hispanic boyfriend" p. 13

1.6. Her mother leaves her many voicemails: "Mei means beautiful in Chinese, live up to your name" p. 17. You're studying hard, right? Make me and Baba proud." p.110 "You should try swinging your arms three thousand times a day, it helps circulation" p. 124 Using a tea bag more than twice will give you cancer " p.134 "Mei, call me. You're supposed to be free right now! Where are you? Are you sick? Have you been swinging your arms? p.142 Voicemail form Nainai: Study hard, go to acupuncture, eat your vitamins! p.164

1.7. Mei meets Nicolette, her roommate. "When I opened the door to my dorm room, a gorgeous girl with olive skin and wavy hair was rearranging the furniture. " p. 18

1.8. Secretly, Mei takes dance lesson at MIT and she loves it. Her mother calls the police because she doesn't answer her cell phone. " Flashing lights, an MIT campus police officer, and a tiny Asian woman crying out front. " p.34

1.9. Her parents want her to be a doctor but she hates germs

1.10. She meets with Xing, her brother which is forbidden. He has been rejected from the family because he is with Esther and unable to have children

1.11. Eating at a chinese restaurant, she tells her family she doesn't want to become a doctor and marry Eugene. Her father is furious, and disowned her.

1.12. Her father tells her: "You're chinese! She replies: I'm Chinese-American. It's Chinese cultures at home but American culture anywhere." p.189, 190. "It was selfish, just like my father said. Iwanted the secrets out because I couldn't handle it anymore" "My father look past me. To him, I didn't exist anymore." p.191

2. PHYSICAL

2.1. Teenager

2.2. Large nose

2.3. Dark brown hair and almond shaped eyes

2.4. Not very tall

2.5. A little chubby according to her mother. "You're getting fat. Have you been exercising ?" " No man wants a panda- lazy, round and silly " p. 6 - From voicemail: "Remember, only cats, no pandas." p. 50- " I had missed the skinny gene" p. 6

3. MENTAL

3.1. Looking for her own identy

3.2. Confuse between Chinese and American culture

3.3. Never being herself, feel guilty. "I was robotically floating through life, adapting to each scenario, never truly myself." p.176

3.4. Happy only in her dance class. "My dance world. Nothing existed but me, the real me. I wasn't Chinese or American- just twirling, leaping force. " p.177

4. CIRCLE OF FRIENDS/ENEMIES

4.1. Darren (boyfriend)

4.2. Nicolette (roommate)

4.3. Xing (her brother)

4.4. Family

4.4.1. Mama (mother)

4.4.2. Baba (father)

4.4.3. Nainai (grandmother)

4.4.4. Yilong (aunt)