Journal Entry 15: Leaving Everything Behind

Think about another period in history when people were forced to leave behind everything they knew and loved. How would their experience compare with the experiences of Harriet Tubman and her eleven fugitives? What about you? Have you ever had to move to a new place? If so, did you have to leave anything behind? How did it make you feel? If you’ve never moved, have you ever known someone else who has? How do you think that made him or her feel?

In the past, there was a civil war in China between the republic and communists. A lot of people were forced to fled the mainland to Taiwan and islands close to China, or else they'd be killed or worse. The people that were left behind were either too poor to travel on the boat or just not important enough so they were left out. They traveled across the sea and many died during the trip to Taiwan. Even the ones that successfully arrived in Taiwan were mostly broke because many of them met pirates on the sea and were robbed. It was very sad, and that's why nowadays, Taiwanese still hate China people so much (most of them). Their experience was kind of similar to Harriet Tubman and her eleven fugitives' experience, because they all had to leave things behind. But for the Chinese, it was a llittle different, because a lot of them were free and had a lot of money, food, and family, and many of them were rich, but they had to leave a LOT behind so they can run for their lives. Harriet and her eleven fugitives had nothing to lose, because they were already slaves and didn't have much going for them, unlike the Chinese which probably includes many educated and successful people.

I've moved before, and I had to leave some of my childhood memories behind. My family moved and had to leave behind my toys and swing and slides. I was very sad and I still miss them a lot, because they were like my childhood and it's hard to leave them behind.