Working for a Better World. Dr. Carolyn Y. Woo

of cleaning and laundering. She and I (and at certain times different siblings) shared the same room all the time I was growing up. It was to her I would spill out my worries — when my parents quarreled or, later, when my father had his first heart attack. I would complain to her about the privileged place my brothers enjoyed. Together we processed the news on the late-night radio show that reported the murder of a popular Hong Kong journalist when he spoke out against Communism. One of my earliest memories is from the time Gaga took ill when I was only three. I brought a stool and sat at the foot of her bed, watching over her until she opened her eyes and was well again.

      Every morning when Ah Gaga got me ready for kindergarten at the Precious Blood School, she would send me off with perfect braids, the whitest starched uniform, matching spotless white socks and shoes, and a little wet towel in a soap box. In those days, the teacher would stamp in the student record book a “rabbit” for good behavior (attentiveness, neat appearance, completion of homework, obedient conduct) and a “pig” for anything less. Before I left for school each morning, my nanny would say to me that she had done her part in getting me ready and that I should do my part to bring home a rabbit for the day. I was glad to do that because the rabbit would be for both of us. After a year of only rabbits on my record book, I won a gold medal. Carved on it were my name and the Chinese characters for perfect conduct. It was placed on a chain for me to wear. I bit on it regularly, and it was so thin and pliable that I left little teeth marks. To this day it is one of my most cherished possessions.

      Through the years, my nanny continued to instill in me a strong sense of discipline and the willingness to work hard. I did my homework in the same room where she ironed. She was a perfectionist in all she did. Her commandment — “Don’t play until you finish your work” — is forever chiseled into my brain. When I whimpered about the quantity of work, I only had to look at her duties and knew I could do more. At sixteen, when I took a practice test for the SAT and scored miserably on the verbal section, I was crestfallen. When I told Gaga that I did not know enough English words, she suggested, in the most pragmatic fashion, that I spend an extra hour a night studying the dictionary. I did and got over the hump.