“My dad has a business in China so he [can’t] really come [to the U.S.] so he ships money over, so I can stay here,” Lui said.

Lui had lived in Cupertino when she was younger and attended Lincoln Elementary School. She then moved back to China and was able to experience the school system over there. After deciding she favored the schools in the U.S., she asked her parents if she could move back to Cupertino for high school. Because of conflicts her parents were unable to relocate with her.

Her parents felt it was important for Lui to live in a Christian household when staying in the United States. She had connected to the pastor’s family through the church she attended in China. The first time Lui ever laid eyes on the family was in a picture sent through email.

She has been living with her pastor’s family for three years and even witnessed the birth of their daughter. After living with them for such an extended period, Lui says they have become like another family to her.

The separation from her parents has also left Lui more independent than an average teenager. Lui had to start cleaning up after herself in the household, and looking after her own schoolwork.

“Everyday I have to make my own food in the morning since there is no one home,” Lui said. “I also have to do my own laundry, make my bed, and manage my time.”

Junior Priscilla Chung is a friend of Lui’s, and she admires Lui’s maturity. When Chung first found out about Lui’s living situation, she was taken by surprise, since the two had been close for about a year. Chung had come over to visit Lui at her house, and thought it odd when she called the adults, whom she assumed were Lui’s parents, by their first names. After witnessing Lui’s interaction with her guardians several times since Chung now views the relationship as completely normal.

“They have a very similar relationship to a parent and child,” Chung said.

Lui talks to her parents about two times a week along with the occasional web-chat, but after living apart from them for three years, Lui has found the ability to look after herself. She thinks that this experience will come to her advantage in the future.

“Since I don’t live with my parents anymore, during college I will already be used to it,” Lui said.

Lui feels that she will also be able to manage her college course work more efficiently than her peers, having had to look after her own school work throughout high school. Lui intends to continue her stay in the U.S. while in college, but right now she is content living with her unconventional type of family.