25 things about me

1. I have a fear of flowers. I do not touch them nor do I find them beautiful in any way. The bigger they are, the scarier they are.
   
2. I did not learn to speak English until I was 10 and did not become fluent (able to carry a conversation) until I was in the ninth grade. Because it made me very very self-conscious, I was determined to get rid of my Asian accent and had successfully done so.
3. I have never dated an Asian men before (with the exception of Filipinos).
   
4. I shared a room with my sister and sleep on a bunk bed until I was 23 (when I moved out of my parents' house).
5. I stole $25 from my parents in the 7th grade to buy a school year book and got caught. I serious thought about running away after school because of it.
   
6. I have never been outside of the U.S. except for living in Vietnam for the first 10 years of my life.
7. I secretly wished I would marry a white man growing up. My future husband is a white man.
8. I grew up Catholic, switched to being a Christian when I dated my ex for 6 years, and have converted back to Catholic since meeting my fiance.
9. I don't call anyone best friend (with the exception of my fiance), because I feel like the label puts a lot of pressure on both sides.
   
10. I've only called two men boyfriend: an ex who I was with for 6 years and my current fiance.
11. I got engaged after 8 months of meeting my current fiance.
    
12. I was a valedictorian of my high school. There were 4,000+ students and 1,000+ in the 2001 graduating class. There were also 9 valedictorians.
13. I have a true appreciation for the study of economics. I even minored in economics in college.
    
14. Before I left for the U.S., my uncle hit me out of nowhere and told me that I don't deserve to have a better life while my cousins remain in a communist country. That memory is forever burn into my head.
15. I'm a terrible hand holder. Everyone I date tell me that.
16. I used to have an eating disorder in middle school. Growing up, everyone in my family told me that I was fat, so I spent a lot of time exercising everyday and eating very unhealthily.
17. I once overdosed on Tylenol by taking about 50 pills at once. Nobody every found out because I tried sleeping it out. I remembered feeling very sick because of it.
    
18. I cannot swim.
    
19. I have never told my parents "I love you" nor have they ever told me they loved me. We just never have that kind of dynamic. We have recently just started hugging as a sign of affection towards each other.
20. My first birthday party was when I was 13.
21. I've only been to the following out of state places: Forth Worth, TX, Chicago, IL, Miami, FL, Orlando, FL, Atlanta, GA, Boise, ID, Philly, PA, Salt Lake City, UT, NJ.
22. I have a big tattoo of a phoenix on my back, as a tribute to my Vietnamese name.
23. I think my parents don't know how to feel about me. On one hand, I am considered the black sheep in my family, due to the following reasons: I got a tattoo, I dated outside of my race, I was the first to move out of parents' house (before I got married), I lived with a man (my fiance) before marriage. On the other hand, I can tell that they are proud of me for what I've done so far.
    
24. My father fought in the Vietnam war and was taken prisoner for about 5 years because he fought with the Americans.
    
25. I have never held a gun before in my life, although my fiance is an expert shooter by military standard on the rifle.