This always comes as a surprise to my friends when I tell them I actually grew up in China. And when I say ‘grew up,' I mean the first 13 years of my life.

I was originally born in California, then I moved back to Beijing with my parents when I was less than 3 months old, where I then settled down. Growing up in China was fun; I was always out riding bikes with my friends in the neighborhood or playing soccer with my classmates after school. It's not an exaggeration to say that I had the time of my life growing up in China.

But I always knew I was different from the kids around me, because I was born on the other side of the ocean, across the entire world, in a country that was described as an enemy of China. The older I am, the more curious I become. I just really wanted to see what it’s like to live on the other side. So after middle school, I finally made up my mind and asked my parents to let me go to an American high school, abandoning everything that I was familiar with behind me. That was the most important decision I’ve made in my life, just based on pure intuition and curiosity. I have no regrets. I think life is about always trying out new things, even though you have no idea what might happen to you. And so far, I’m liking the decision that I made.