Anonymous | 23 | she/her | nationality: Swedish |ethnicity: Chinese
“Yellow”.
It's honestly one of my favourite colours, it makesme think of
sunflowers and warm honey! I guess I fall into 'yellow'as an east asian,
but I honestly wasn't able to form any relation toyellowness growing
up. Especially in kids' cartoons where east asiancharacters were
distastefully coloured plain yellow. Like, were eastasian kids supposed
to feel represented by that?
“Asian”.
I think what brings Asians together is the sharedregional and cultural
heritage, and whether someone can claim being Asianhas to do with
how closely they can relate to their origins. Sincepeople are so mixed
and raised differently, it has much more to do withhow closely you
identify with other asians, based on how your physicalappearance or
cultural upbringing shapes you as a person.
Ethnicity|part1.
-Swedish
-Chinese/east asian
-I relate to my ethnicity through being raised inSweden and
celebrating the national holidays (pagan/christian),but I don't feel like
I have a deep bond to the country itself since nobodyfrom my family is
from here originally.
- I think as an adoptee I appreciate growing up aroundfriends and
family who aren't completely rooted in Sweden, havingtheir own
history and ways to relate to their ethnicity. HadI grown up in a more
homogenous area I guess I might have felt lonelier.
Ethnicity|part2.
Ethnicity is such a confusing term to me, I thinkit has to do with
identity formation, who raised you and your immediatesurroundings.
Out of some words I've used- Swedish, Chinese, EastAsian and
Adoptee, I think adoptee plays a big role in tyingthese together. I
guess I feel like I've adopted a Swedish identity.There isn't a shared
family history, culturally or genetically, tied toSweden, but to still
being shaped socially by it's culture is very muchadoption in itself. I
think people who could agree to the perception thatethnicity is a
personal summary of your identity formation, and notjust a place you
or your parents were born, have an easier time toaccept it when you
tell them you're Swedish.
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