Why did I leave US after seven years?

Sharon Shi poses with her family on a Kayak. After living in the US for seven years, she and her family have relocated to China.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

My husband, a college graduate of mathematical computational science from Stanford University, actually has even less faith than I in the American educational system due to his own experience. It goes without saying that obviously he was a smart kid. However, by the time he became a fourth-grader in primary school, he started getting influenced by his peers and felt loving to learn was something "uncool" and thus started losing interest in learning. His parents, two Stanford graduates who value education, saw his change and made an important decision for him. They made him as well his sisters drop out of school and started teaching the three of them at home. So my husband, as a young boy, stayed at home for years and years until he was much older. When he finally was mature enough to be able to shield himself from peer pressure of "being a cool kid," he went back to public high school and later went onto Stanford, where he found many friends who had similar experiences. 

As parents, my husband and I had never lived anywhere other than our hometowns until we turned 18 to go off to college. As a result, we value and prefer a stable environment for our kids. It was never our intention to move around between multiple continents as family. However, we came to the realization that the States would not be the place we want for ourselves or for the children. Of course there are difficulties and new challenges that come with moving to a different country for every family member, including the children.

As a woman, I have fought hard against societal biases and pressure in my last 30 years to do what I want instead of doing what other people think I should do. I have never desired to be a perfect mother, but I would love to be a courageous mother to show my daughters that they can pursue the lifestyle they want when they grow up. Women are usually more sensitive about other people's opinions regarding how they should live their lives. Sensitivity can turn into fear. The fear of being different, the fear of being pointed at and talked about, the fear of not doing the things a woman is told she is supposed to do have all been the obstacles for women for many generations. I do not want fear to lead my decisions. If I want my daughters to grow up to be women of courage, I have no other option but to be a woman of courage myself.