Fish Cheeks!!

Amy Tan's purpose in writing "Fish Cheeks" was to show us that we shouldn't be ashamed of who we are or where we come from.  She learned that she should never be ashamed of her Chinese culture.  Anybody can relate to a time where they have felt out of place, or ashamed of being who they are or where we come from.
I understand Amy's purpose because in my freshman year of high school, I let everybody know exactly who I was.

I remember it like it was just yesterday.  The sun was out and all I could hear was my heart beating faster and faster as I thought of the right way to tell my friends.  I looked up and I mumbled, "I'm gay".  Everybody grew quiet and they all stared at me.  I didn't speak to any of them for the rest of the day because I was afraid that they would tell me I could no longer hang out with them.  I got home and I told my parents the exact same thing.  My parents was exactly what I expected.  They didn't speak to me for a couple of months and what's even worse is that they wouldn't even look me in the eyes.  At school, the word spread out that I was gay and most of my classmates and even teachers looked at me differently.  For a while I was ashamed of being gay.  I hated myself for liking girls.  Why couldn't I feel the same way towards guys like I did for girls?  Luckily my friends never left my side and were always there to support me.  Through all of this I met my wonderful girlfriend, Tasha.
To this day my parents still have a hard time accepting me for me.  It get really hard at times knowing I don't have my parent's support.  I learned that I will never care what people think/say about me. I am who I am and I love it.  People can call me whatever they like, I don't care.  I'm weird, different and even strange.  It's what makes me, Celene!