Tia Burgess
PSY 240-08
This is Who I am
Hi, my name is Tia Cameron Burgess. I was adopted when I was 10 months old from Nanchang, China and raised as an only child in Southern Orange County, California. When I was 12, my family and I moved to Tucson. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to the beach, my friends and being about an hour away from Disneyland. While I have tried to enjoy it in Tucson and I have family and friends there, I cannot wait until the day I leave. I can honestly say I hate it there because it never gets seasons and summers are ridiculously hot. I also find myself doing the same thing over and over again whenever I hang out with family or friends and I get really bored. A little more about me: I love to dance, I am obsessed with dinosaurs, my favorite color is purple, and I love food. I am a night owl, I change my hair frequently, I am a klutz; my roommate bought me bubble wrap for Christmas, and I love Grey’s Anatomy and Friends. Personality wise, I would say that I am a perfectionist; I always have been, I am a workaholic, and I am a defensive pessimist. I am extremely shy and awkward at first, but that starts to go away as I get to know people better, I am pretty energetic, and I like being alone, but I also like to be around people that make me happy.
One of the significant events that had a major impact on my development was my adoption. As I mentioned earlier, I was adopted at 10 months old on August 10th, 1998 from Nanchang, China. I do not know anything about my birth parents because they did not leave any documentation of any sort for my adoptive parents. I wish I had known who they were and I often wonder about them and what they are doing to this day. Fortunately though, two very loving parents raised me as an only child. Being an only child definitely has its ups and downs, but nonetheless, it has shaped me into who I am today. When I was little I was very outgoing and not shy at all. I remember that I would go up to strangers in the store and say “Hi, my name is Tia; Tee-ah.” I definitely do not do that anymore. Over the years I have become more introverted and I now understand the concept of stranger danger. I think that in some situations I am outgoing, but I consider myself to be mostly introverted. I think that growing up without siblings has factored into this. My parents are not very extroverted either, so I think that also comes into play. Growing up as an only child also taught me about independence and responsibility. I did not have anyone else to blame for my mistakes, so if I messed up, it was on me. I also learned how to be independent, do things by myself and be my own best friend. There were times where growing up as an only child got very lonely and I sometimes wonder what I would be like if I had grown up with siblings. Nevertheless, I learned to be my own best friend and I learned that if I wanted something I had to go after it myself. As I got older and even now, I am very independent. I h...
