Her family

So for most people, family is everything. And for those who it’s not, it’s mostly not because of the influence of family, anyway. We’re social creatures at the end of the day. And in Thailand, family seems to be even more important, with a very serious respect culture on top of that. My girlfriend grew up in a poor family; she was raised in the north with her grandfather. They’ve seen many hard times together. I think you can intuitively understand how that influences a person. You know, the funny thing is, I don’t really care that much about family, or making my parents proud -- in general. However, the one exception is my art. I want them to enjoy my art. Sometimes, I even feel like I mostly make art just for them to enjoy. Which doesn’t make much sense either. But my girlfriend often tells me that she really wants her parents to be proud of her. She keeps her hard times to herself so that her parents don’t have to worry about her (I think there may also be some shame involved). She helps them more than I believe is reasonable, and in return, often feels like she gets neglected in favor of other problems. For many, family seems to just drag them down. Even if they go their own way, that weight remains -- my girlfriend will probably always feel some pull, but I hope she can find the distance to live a life of her own.