You might be thinking that this blog is going to be about all the different countries I’ve been to this past year and all the different cultures I have experienced…but it is not…
This blog is about the culture shock for me being a Chinese American from California on a mostly Caucasian squad from all over the States.
I grew up surrounded by Asian people (particularly Chinese) and so did most of the people where I am from because San Jose is heavily populated with Asians. Also, Asian food, music, festivals and those kinds of things are second nature to me, but what I’m starting to realize is that what might be normal for me is NOT normal at all for someone who grew up in Missouri or Florida or wherever else where there are not a lot of Asian people.
Part of me was always comforted by the fact that whenever I talked about Asian things at least one other person around me would understand what I was talking about (Kylie Fujimoto, I miss you!). Now that I am the only Asian on team Eden and among the teams placed here at Remember Nhu, it is actually kind of hard. I find myself getting frustrated and upset when people don’t know what I’m talking about or when I try to share something like egg tarts or mooncake with them and they are uninterested.
I love being Chinese and my culture plays a huge part in my life, but I really can’t expect everyone to care or know about it because they aren’t Chinese and they might not have grown up in an area where there are a lot of Chinese people. Then again I do know Chinese Americans that do not care or know much about their culture, so mainly I know that I need to humble myself and not judge unfairly.
What is dim sum? What are egg tarts? What’s the significance of the mooncake and what are we celebrating? What is pho?
Don’t worry. If you do want to learn then I can teach you and I promise to do it with a smile and remember that you are different and that really the United States houses a wide range of people and I’m glad I get a little glimpse of different States from the squad-mates I do have. I am learning from them and hopefully I am able to teach something to them, too.
I still look forward to Quality Asian Time (QAT) / Black and Yellow at every debrief though, because hey, a girl just wants to eat some good Asian food sometimes and be around people that kind of look like her 😛
And, if you are Asian and reading this blog, don’t be discouraged because really Christ binds us all together not color of skin or State that we’re from. Also, I am a bit curious at the lack of Asians that do the World Race. Is it because by nature we are more passive people? Maybe. I do encourage you to consider stepping out of your box and into the world (literally).
