To answer this question right off the bat, no I am not from China. I was born and raised in California. But you wouldn\u2019t know that unless you asked me, \u201cwhere are you from?\u201d This past weekend when a couple of my friends and I went to Idaho, that was the first time I had ever been asked that question, and not even 24 hours later I was asked again. It surprises me that people find this to be an acceptable question to ask. To have a complete stranger feel comfortable enough to come up to you and ask, \u201cAre you from China?\u201d All before, if they ever, say \u201chello.\u201d What surprises me even more, are the reactions I get when I respond. It\u2019s always an, \u201coh\u201d followed by silence. Was this not the answer you were expecting? If I was from China, should I have responded back enthusiastically, with a \u201cYes, how did you know?\u201d And even then, where would this conversation lead us?<\/p>\n
I never, still do not, and never will understand, the reason for asking this question.<\/p>\n
After that moment of silence, she responded back with, \u201coh\u2026 I just thought, because you know\u2026 you have those small eyes,\u201d as she raised her pinched finger over her squinting eyes. I was in utter disbelief. I stood there frozen in silence, as she pushed her cart away. But although I was vocally silent, in my head I was screaming, \u201cYes, of course! My eyes look like that because I was born with them. It\u2019s hereditary. I am Chinese. My eyes won\u2019t become magically bigger because I was born in the US.\u201d<\/p>\n
My appearance does not reflect where I am from. My appearance does not give you permission to ask me these questions. My appearance does not give you permission to tell me these things. My appearance does not give you permission for any reasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To answer this question right off the bat, no I am not from China. I was born and raised in California. But you wouldn\u2019t know that unless you asked me, \u201cwhere are you from?\u201d This past weekend when a couple … Continue reading