Thursday, September 13, 2012

Opportunity Cost

       At the age of 7 when I was in 2nd grade our whole family had to move from Taiwan to the US due to my dad's job. At the time I was still young and didn't realize how big of an impact it would make on my life. Of course, my dad had already made preparations for either decisions of whether to stay in Taiwan or to go to America. We had to weigh the benefits for both and ultimately made the decision of coming here.
       The reason for coming here were mostly for my brother and I's benefits which was better education, better life, more opportunities and the chance to explore a new language, culture and life. He made the decision towards giving us a brighter future and for him a stable job and income. As I think about it now, I do not regret his decision because it opened up my life to an array of possibilities. The chance to study here has made me more knowledgeable and a better person.
       However, the opportunity cost for this decision still lingers in my mind from time to time such as, what if I had stayed in Taiwan? If I had stayed in Taiwan, I wouldn't have to leave my family and wouldn't have to make any adjustments towards my lifestyle. No money would have to be wasted towards the life in America ( air fare, house, cars, luxuries). I wouldn't have to learn another new language and struggle towards making new friends and education would continue and I could be perfecting my mandarin. Finally, the cheaper life in Taiwan could be saving my parents lots of money. As I look at it now, my question is, what if I had stayed in Taiwan? What would my life be like and would I be as successful as I am now?
   

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