Anonymous | nationality: American | ethnicity: Chinese-Vietnamese
“Yellow”.
If someone referred to me as yellow, I would be abit upset. I try not to,
but that color specifically has been used as an insultfor Asians for
years, though I have no idea why or how. All the Asiansthat I’ve met
were very light skinned, tanned, or brown, and atbest, our skin tone
does have a hint of yellow.
Though it’s not enough to warrant an insult.
“Asian”.
I feel like the topic of Asians can be quite broad.Asia is a big country,
and some people categorize Asians into different categories.Asians to
me, are people who come from, are born, or grew upin the countries of
Asia. It’s culture that differentiates them mostly.
To me, if you’re Asian, that could mean that you haveAsian blood in
you or you grew up in an Asian household/country.
What brings Asians together is a lot of things. Eventhough Asians can
be so different in so many ways, we can relate ona lot of levels. Not
just culturally, but also personally. People in SouthAsia are not less
Asian than people in East or South East Asia.
Ethnicity|part1.
So I am Chinese-Vietnamese, but I mostly identifyas a Vietnamese
person. Not only because I grew up in a predominatelyVietnamese
household, but also the one side of my family whoare Chinese have
also gone through the same. My father is Chinese,and my mother is
Vietnamese. So in turn, I’m half of both, so by blood,I’m Chinese and
Vietnamese. But even then, I’m struggling. A lot ofthe kids in my family
who are around my age and are born in the same generationdon’t
know a lot about Vietnam, or Vietnamese for that matter.You could say
we are “whitewashed”, and I feel guilty because notonly did I miss out
on the Chinese side of my family, but I am also slippingaway from my
Vietnamese side. I can only speak Vietnamese at anintermediate level,
and although I try my best to keep learning, I feelas though I’m failing
my ancestors. Also being raised in a Buddhist family,I feel like I’m not
trying enough. I’ve stopped going to the temple, I’vestopped praying.
But in the end, I feel like me trying is enough. BecauseI’m trying to be
better, I feel like the connection between my ethnicityand myself
coming back. I teach myself mythology from differentAsian countries.
I’m teaching myself Vietnamese. And I’m trying tohelp my mom out
when she cooks and at the temple when she asks. ThoughI may not be
the most “Asian” person, I feel that because I’m trying,and with the
support of my family, I’m good enough.
Ethnicity|part2.
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