For Ida

This poem is very touching, I can feel the deep love towards Samoan land and Samoan culture in it. I think this is the story about a Samoan woman called Ida, who immigrated to New Zealand to seek a better life. But like many other overstayers, she was forced out of New Zealand in the dawn raids in the 1970s. She then kept her son grow up in Samoa and stay in Samoa, to let her son enjoy the friendly environment of the homecountry, living a happy life.

"The gull circles/and nest/and our sense of selves/rests" The author is expressing the happy, peaceful feeling of one finally find one's identity, after lots of searchings. Here she means that the sense of selves, in other words, one's identity, is resting on one's home, rather than anywhere alse. The gull circles, fly away from home and comes back home. This home, for Ida and her son, is Samoa. I totally agree with the author, I also think that each person need to have an identity, this identity can only be developed when you are at your homecoutry.

I don't think a person can have two cultures. One can have his/her own culture, and experience, appreciate another one. But one cannot have two cultures, it is just like people only have one head, one heart. I have stayed in New Zealand for six years by now. I don't feel that I know much about New Zealand culture, instead, I know so much more Chinese culture then six years ago. My body is surrounded by kiwi culture, but my heart is surrounded by Chinese culture, I have to listen to my heart.

I kept on finding informations about Chinese culture on net those years I stayed in New Zealand, I can only find them on net because New Zealand is a society with kiwi culture. I used to tell myself that I need to go and study the kiwi culture, but then I failed to do that, because I am not happy, I feel so confused about myself. But when I look up on net about Chinese culture, those information give me pleasure and comfort, and energy. I can hear my ancestors' voices, those "humble" men and women, their voice also flying across the ocean.

I wish one day I can find a good job in China and live a happy life there. I know that I am also a seed, a Chinese seed.