By Cindy Kuo
(Editor Note: Villa Duchesne senior Cindy Kuo presents a short personal reflection on ethnic differences in America.)
One obstacle I face is growing up Asian American. The most taxing element of this situation is that I will always be in the minority, whether here in the U.S. or where my parents are from. Here, I am regarded as a foreigner. One question I frequently hear is, "Where are you from?" Even there, I am seen as a foreigner. I am bombarded with the same question, "Where are you from?"
According to Time magazine, all Asian Americans go through a course of "isolation, immersion, and re-appreciation of ethnic roots." We start by trying to hide our differences, and then end up embracing them. We must struggle with our cultural identity in order to fully appreciate it. I think it is important for Asian Americans like myself to recognize the two parts that make us whole. We grow up in two vastly different worlds and seem to fit into neither- the traditional one at home that our parents struggle to maintain, and the Western one that lies outside our front door. We grow up resenting our parents for their accents and ignorance of Western customs. There is not only a generational divide, but also a cultural divide. Unfortunately, this concept is not often discussed, or Asian Americans do not like to discuss it.
My parents immigrated here from Taiwan in 1992. (My mother was pregnant with me at the time, they joke that I was "Made in Taiwan.") They had to struggle in forging a future for us, as well as assimilating into society. Though I may speak English flawlessly, I am more like my parents than it may seem, not only in appearance. I continue their struggle by forging an identity for myself. I may be forever a foreigner, but I am proud to be able to bring diversity to people on both sides of the world. |
