The Studies of Life: The History
Born in 1987 and raised in Washington DC. Fina Chao was the only child to Xui-Li (pronounced "Zoo-Lee") Mo Chao and Tou Ka (pronounced "Two") Chao--who were both born in Beijing just three years apart. Xui-Li came from a family who co-owned plantations while Tou was the eldest son of a military general. The Mo family helped feed the military during the Cold War and it was when Xui-Li was seven and Tou was 10 that they were arranged to be married by the time Xui-Li was 17. The Chao family and the Mo family made an agreement that the arranged married couple would live in America for a friend of the Chao family would help Xui-Li and Tou there. Xui-Li and Tou met for the first time on their wedding day, it was both love and hate at the first sight. Their first words to eachother was arguing to live in China or in America. When they moved to Washington DC, they grew fond of eachother and knew that arguments helped the relationship grow. Two years after Xui-Li and Tou got settled, rented an apartment and got a job, they both agreed on having a child. Funny enough, they both wanted a girl--when in China, having a first born as a girl traditionally is frowned upon. When Xui-Li was in labor, there were cases of Aquafina bottles along the hallway since the vending machine person was replenishing the vending machines in the hospital. When she gave birth to a healthy--but small--baby girl, she knew what to name the child...Fina Qxi-lo (pronounced "See-Low") Chao. Fina was the first generation of an all-Chinese family to be born outside of China...and her parents were proud of it.
Fina's life was the stereo-typical Asian childlife. Studied hard. Did well in school. Played musical instruments. But there was a point where something went wrong in Fina's life. No, she did not turn into a vampire or gained magical powers. Instead, she became a little odd and somehow obsessed in other cultures.
Fina did not want to be other cultures. She wanted to know other cultures.
it was the summer before she went into high school that turned her life around. Due to her talents in music--the oboe and the bongos specifically--Fina was accepted to spend four months in a music camp. It was not an ordinary band camp. What this place turned out to be was far more than Fina or even her parents imagined.
Tourniquet Camp in Ontario Canada was the place--named after the founder and great Lycan pianist and cello composer, Maurice Loren Tourniquet--where all creatures big or small could collaborate together; to learn and to teach and best of all, to play. The days were long and hard; but not only was it to advance the experience and knowledge of the instruments and music; but to understand the knowledge in all aspects of any genre. The classes and activities were co-ed; but the dormitories were gender-based--not specie-based. Creatures tolerated eachother and respected them--for there was zero-tolerance of defiance in this camp. This camp was also designed to make or break the students--to show that there is more than just practice that needed to be done. There was also the business and competition aspects of this kind of life.
Fina was one of the twelve Humans selected that year. A total of ten species and 120 students were there each year. This was the first time that Fina was ever in contact with other species and never once did she show fear--except for the large orange dragon...and then he started playing the violin rather lovely-like. Fina read the stereo-types and the myths of the other creatures; but her parents taught her never to judge a field by the crops. Her parents were really traditional like that. Fina got along with the majority of the students there--in fact she was even taught by one of the faeries on how to play the steel drums. Fina, as well, never knew how only an eight-inch creature could replay Led Zeppelin's whole song of Dy'er Ma'ker perfectly well on steel drums. Fina was fascinated on how nearly everyone got along with ease. Sure, there were a few arguments here and there; but any camp has that. By the time she got home, the internet soon became Fina's best friend to find more and true information on different creatures, their habits and their way of thinking.
This was just only the beginning.
Throughout high school, Fina barely had any friends. Not because she did not try or try too much. But it was the constant interviews that her peers did not understand. Fina became obsessed on finding out how Humans interact with one another. How Humans her age live in a society on how it was at that point in time. Her music and education never once, though, slump due to this new obsession. When she was a junior in High School, she started writing her entry thesis to the desired colleges. Fina's parents wanted her to go to Columbia or even Oxford; but it was set in Fina's mind that she wanted to go to one of the few colleges that accepts all creatures--Rhy'Din Country University. Unfortunately, RCU believed her thesis was too "stereo-typical" and was rejected. It was Oxford, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, UCLA, and UNY that accepted her with open arms and eagerness.
Finishing in the top 5% of her high-school graduating class, it was then Fina changed her mind about going to college. Her dream was crushed, but somehow and something kept the hope alive. Declining the acceptance of the colleges and universities that craved for her attendance, she told her parents that she was traveling instead of continuing education. Fina's parents never banished or disowned her; but they were highly ashamed and did not speak with her for nearly a year.
For years, Fina traveled around the world--her passport proved that with the stamps of all the countries and U.S.-owned embassies. About a year ago, a portion of her life was fulfilled. Finally stepping onto Rhy'Din Country's gravel and dirt. She knew then that her life and studies were ready to start.
Born in 1987 and raised in Washington DC. Fina Chao was the only child to Xui-Li (pronounced "Zoo-Lee") Mo Chao and Tou Ka (pronounced "Two") Chao--who were both born in Beijing just three years apart. Xui-Li came from a family who co-owned plantations while Tou was the eldest son of a military general. The Mo family helped feed the military during the Cold War and it was when Xui-Li was seven and Tou was 10 that they were arranged to be married by the time Xui-Li was 17. The Chao family and the Mo family made an agreement that the arranged married couple would live in America for a friend of the Chao family would help Xui-Li and Tou there. Xui-Li and Tou met for the first time on their wedding day, it was both love and hate at the first sight. Their first words to eachother was arguing to live in China or in America. When they moved to Washington DC, they grew fond of eachother and knew that arguments helped the relationship grow. Two years after Xui-Li and Tou got settled, rented an apartment and got a job, they both agreed on having a child. Funny enough, they both wanted a girl--when in China, having a first born as a girl traditionally is frowned upon. When Xui-Li was in labor, there were cases of Aquafina bottles along the hallway since the vending machine person was replenishing the vending machines in the hospital. When she gave birth to a healthy--but small--baby girl, she knew what to name the child...Fina Qxi-lo (pronounced "See-Low") Chao. Fina was the first generation of an all-Chinese family to be born outside of China...and her parents were proud of it.
Fina's life was the stereo-typical Asian childlife. Studied hard. Did well in school. Played musical instruments. But there was a point where something went wrong in Fina's life. No, she did not turn into a vampire or gained magical powers. Instead, she became a little odd and somehow obsessed in other cultures.
Fina did not want to be other cultures. She wanted to know other cultures.
it was the summer before she went into high school that turned her life around. Due to her talents in music--the oboe and the bongos specifically--Fina was accepted to spend four months in a music camp. It was not an ordinary band camp. What this place turned out to be was far more than Fina or even her parents imagined.
Tourniquet Camp in Ontario Canada was the place--named after the founder and great Lycan pianist and cello composer, Maurice Loren Tourniquet--where all creatures big or small could collaborate together; to learn and to teach and best of all, to play. The days were long and hard; but not only was it to advance the experience and knowledge of the instruments and music; but to understand the knowledge in all aspects of any genre. The classes and activities were co-ed; but the dormitories were gender-based--not specie-based. Creatures tolerated eachother and respected them--for there was zero-tolerance of defiance in this camp. This camp was also designed to make or break the students--to show that there is more than just practice that needed to be done. There was also the business and competition aspects of this kind of life.
Fina was one of the twelve Humans selected that year. A total of ten species and 120 students were there each year. This was the first time that Fina was ever in contact with other species and never once did she show fear--except for the large orange dragon...and then he started playing the violin rather lovely-like. Fina read the stereo-types and the myths of the other creatures; but her parents taught her never to judge a field by the crops. Her parents were really traditional like that. Fina got along with the majority of the students there--in fact she was even taught by one of the faeries on how to play the steel drums. Fina, as well, never knew how only an eight-inch creature could replay Led Zeppelin's whole song of Dy'er Ma'ker perfectly well on steel drums. Fina was fascinated on how nearly everyone got along with ease. Sure, there were a few arguments here and there; but any camp has that. By the time she got home, the internet soon became Fina's best friend to find more and true information on different creatures, their habits and their way of thinking.
This was just only the beginning.
Throughout high school, Fina barely had any friends. Not because she did not try or try too much. But it was the constant interviews that her peers did not understand. Fina became obsessed on finding out how Humans interact with one another. How Humans her age live in a society on how it was at that point in time. Her music and education never once, though, slump due to this new obsession. When she was a junior in High School, she started writing her entry thesis to the desired colleges. Fina's parents wanted her to go to Columbia or even Oxford; but it was set in Fina's mind that she wanted to go to one of the few colleges that accepts all creatures--Rhy'Din Country University. Unfortunately, RCU believed her thesis was too "stereo-typical" and was rejected. It was Oxford, Columbia, Yale, Harvard, UCLA, and UNY that accepted her with open arms and eagerness.
Finishing in the top 5% of her high-school graduating class, it was then Fina changed her mind about going to college. Her dream was crushed, but somehow and something kept the hope alive. Declining the acceptance of the colleges and universities that craved for her attendance, she told her parents that she was traveling instead of continuing education. Fina's parents never banished or disowned her; but they were highly ashamed and did not speak with her for nearly a year.
For years, Fina traveled around the world--her passport proved that with the stamps of all the countries and U.S.-owned embassies. About a year ago, a portion of her life was fulfilled. Finally stepping onto Rhy'Din Country's gravel and dirt. She knew then that her life and studies were ready to start.