Ripped At The Seams - 10.26.02

[purezero]

I wrote this a while back in response to the negative vibes I was getting from my family. It's frustrating. It's irritating.

My face
My color
My dark hair and slanted eyes
Strictly Asian
Nay ho ma?
Strictly Chinese
Specifically Cantonese
California
San Leandro
US of A
1986
American born
Identity lost
Pure blood with a foreign tongue
How are you?
And they forget that I can speak
Ngoar hor yee gong dut.
Shocked, surprised.
In between my "dude's," "man's," "cool's," and "nerd's"
Find me
Underneath the "LOL's" and the "BRB's"
Underneath my clothes
Ridiculed by my own
So alike
All look same
But so different
Look ma! No accent
And the two sticks
Held in my heand
Flowing with ancestoral genes
Move with ease
But then again, I was not born to do it

[purezero]

I don't live in San Leandro, I was born in the hospital there though.

It's not really parent/teenager problems. More like a whole family business. My brother and I are the only American-born Chinese on my dad's side of the family. And everyone is SO shocked when we speak in Cantonese. And sometimes, it seems like they look down on us just because we were born here.

The other day, my cousin asked me something in Chinese, and without thinking, I responded in Chinese. Then he told me to never speak in Chinese ever again. Was it wrong for me to feel like slapping him?

[himura-dono]

no, you should tell them, fine, don't ever talk to me in english again.

[moschikat]

Originally posted by ti12amisu@Feb 23 2003, 11:27 PM


The other day, my cousin asked me something in Chinese, and without thinking, I responded in Chinese. Then he told me to never speak in Chinese ever again.
:o

ow. reminds me of when i first moved to Bangkok when i was ten . . .
yeah, everybody just kept laughing and laughing and laughing . . . . .
:HH: so i guess Thai with a southern accent didn't make much sense??

*huggles*

[Rogmok]

dang.. thats pretty harsh of your family..

do you have any theories of why they look down on american born chinese?? is it just a ethno-centric thing?

[purezero]

*huggles back moschikat*

I was tempted to tell him to never speak in English again, but I'm nice. :D He'll just have to pay for what he said with a low Chemistry grade (he was asking for Chem help at the time).

I was talking to my mom about it, but generally what I get from it, is that they look down on Americans because they think that we're slow. Apparently, we play UNO different here than the way that they play. And they kept complaining that our way was boring, etc. I have to admit, that our version of the UNO game is slower, but I still find it entertaining. I don't clown on their way of life. And UNO isn't all American, it doesn't represent all of America. There's so much other stuff... eh...

[kasia]

very nice. i like how you can express yourself like that. i'm from the east bay too, btw :)

[purezero]

Thanks. :D

[mr. x]

dig it