Lena and Waverly both talk about east or west, what does it mean?

The end of Chapter 10 is particularly important in terms of the idea of translation. Putting an original next to its translation demonstrates that many things have been lost, while many other things may be found. Each mother's or daughter's life is clearer in contrast with the other's, different yet complementary like the white and black squares on a chessboard. Even so, things are not always black and white between the generations. When Waverly talks of moving West to reach East, we realize that the labels "Chinese" and "American," "East" and "West," are not dichotomous but relative. It is as difficult for the daughters to distinguish the Chinese and American parts of themselves as it is for them to determine in any definitive way whether China is East or West.