Steven Lum
??
Low Foon?

Every year, I learn a little bit about my father and what it was like before he got here. My father, Steven Lum, immigrated to the United States when he was a pre-teen. He arrived in San Francisco after the government closed the Angel Island Immigration Processing Center. We don't know when his actual birthday is because his family was too poor to consider celebration of birthdates. He has a birthdate on his papers that we never celebrate.

I used to wonder why my father was so hard on us. I used to think it was a Chinese thing, but I believe it had more to do with his past. In some sense, it could be a Chinese thing. However, I think economics and politics have more to do with how he is today. During the height of instability in China, I learned his father died of starvation. I once heard that my father used to catch and eat field mice. We are lucky that we can what we want at anytime, rather scouring to eat to survive.

Until my mother told me during Christmas 2001, I didn't know he had a sister . Apparently, during the unrest in China, my father's mother and sister disappeared. It is unknown if they escaped or if they were subject to the unthinkable. There is a possibility I may have an aunt out there that I've never met. My father used to carry a prejudice towards people of Japanese decent. After learning about Japan's occupation of China, I could understand why. I suggest reading "The Rape of Nanking" to get an idea of the types of atrocities that occurred in China during the Japanese occupation.