Growing up Asian-American, there were a lot of questions people asked me; some being reasonable and some were just flat out ridiculous. There are also a lot of things that you realize that only you do and that none of your non-Asian friends do.

1. No Shoes In The House

EVER. As soon as you walk into the house, you better take off your shoes and leave 'em at the door because mother would not be pleased with you tracking all this outside dirt into the freshly cleaned house. And when your friends came over, you would have to tell them to take off their shoes and they would be momentarily confused and you have to explain, "It's an Asian thing." But you can never forget the look on your mom's face when you took more than two steps in the house with your shoes on...

2. The Fear of Telling Your Parents Your Grade

That moment you were in class...your teacher is handing back your test and you pray that it's an A. Ever since I was in elementary school, I was expected to excel in my classes. Whether I was in the most advanced reading group or got the most advanced spelling list, (I was spelling postmortem at the age of eight.) I was always expected to get the best of the best of grades. It sounds so stereotypical, which it is, but I always needed to get that A. I remember a specific time where I got a 96 on a test and my mom asked me, "Where did the other four points go?", like REALLY mother, really.

3. That Moment You Pull Out Your VERY Asian Lunch at School

If your mom didn't pack you a super Asian lunch at least once a week IDK what y'all were doing because I was out here in fourth grade pulling out my fried rice and eggrolls while everyone else was chowing down on Chef Boyardee cans and Lunchables. Sometimes, though, you just wanted to be like all the other kids and get to make your own personal pizzas.

4. Your Parents Being Strict On Everything with Money

I have never met someone so meticulous in regards to money like my mother. She isn't completely stingy but rather so careful with her funds and careful not to get charged extra for everything. When we are at the store checking out, she will check what the cashier scanned, how many items she scanned, if the cashier took the security tag off or not, and then look over the receipt immediately after. I thought she was just being extra until one day when my sister and I went shopping without her and we weren't paying attention and the cashier scanned the same item three times and left a security tag on the other. We then had to go all the way back to the mall the next day. Lessons learned.

5. Growing Up Immersed in Culture

Even though I was born in America, my parents always wanted to make sure I never forgot my roots. I attended a school every Sunday in order to learn the Vietnamese language. I was constantly immersed in the Vietnamese culture and I am so grateful for that. Even though I was born and raised in America, I am still full-blown Vietnamese and I will never forget it.