What was your favorite pastime as a child?

Prior to age 10 (when I immigrated to the US), I had no life outside of school. Other than meals and sleep, I spent about 90% of my time either in school or completing the pile of homework assigned by the teacher, and yes, I was doing homework during winter and summer breaks. After coming to the US, I spent the first summer intensively learning English and most of the summer breaks in school. I guess one of my favorite activities was playing monopoly with my step-dad.

Did you use coloring pencils, fiber tips, or wax crayons for your childhood drawings?

I remember there was one summer when I was a child in China, I was somehow sent to an art class at a local learning center. There were no art classes in regular school. Art was categorized as extracurricular so schools are not required to have this class.

I have never been good at art, I mean, I can’t draw even if my life depends on it. In that class, I remember I first sketched with a pencil, then traced over with a crayon before filling in with watercolor. It was to prevent us from painting outside the lines.

Did you use a paintbox or have a ‘magic’ book where you only needed to brush the page with water?

There was a similar kind of book when I was a child in China. We used it to practice our calligraphy. Each page contained a character and then we took a writing brush, dipped in water, and traced the characters. I’ve never seen it use in any other way though.

What kind of books did you read as a child?

The first book I read as a child was in English after coming to the US. Before then, I don’t recall I’ve ever even seen a children’s book in China. I used to read a lot of books either by Dr. Seuss or Clifford the Big Red Dog before graduating to novels.

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