Final Thoughts

A couple months ago, a stranger angrily called me a "chink" and told me to "go home" with no provocation as he passed me on a busy downtown Vancouver sidewalk. He continued yelling racial slurs at me from across the street as I walked back to my office, all the while restraining myself from retaliation. As shocking and hurtful as his groundless bigotry was, he ironically got his wish, in a sense - I went "home" for the first time. And it changed the perspective of my whitewashed almond-shaped eyes forever.

As you've probably gleaned from this blog's title and premise, I'm pretty westernized as far as Asians go. I was born and bred in B.C; consider English to be my primary (and much enjoyed) language; and won the Mr. Freezie cold-endurance contest of '99. I've even gone so far as to have the audacity to be home-schooled and choose a career that doesn't focus on medicine or numbers. With the exception of the words of a handful of prejudiced individuals throughout my life, I've always considered myself as Canadian as they come.

However, even as a patriotic Canadian, I'm also fully Chinese. I don't really speak the language as well as I used to, nor do I belong to the country, but I am no less proud of my heritage. I was blessed to have grown up with a large extended family in the Vancouver area who instilled in me the values and characteristics of my Chinese culture. As a result, I'm fairly adept with chopsticks, appreciate the closeness of family, and am a mediocre driver at best. It was this trip to China, however, that really opened my eyes. As far as such eyes as mine can open, that is.

Over the past three weeks, I've seen, smelled, tasted, touched, heard, and experienced many new and outrageous things. I've been far out of my comfort zone (which is already pretty large); pushed and stretched to handle the bizarre. And I've loved it all. Yes, the locals thought it was very strange indeed that I was Chinese like them but couldn't understand their dialect. But at the same time, I began to understand a lot about my heritage without the need for words. I now understand why Asians drive the way they do, why they constantly spit (understood but still not appreciated on my end), and the things they value. I have a better understanding for what it means to be Chinese - It's more than tofu, though that is a very important and delicious part of it.

Surprisingly, being in China and meeting people from various countries and cultures also gave me a better understanding of what it means to be Canadian - part of which includes freedom of information and the ability to have a sibling or two. Things that I won't take for granted as easily from now on. Also, Canada has crazy awesome plumbing and bacon in comparison.

So what happens now? I go back into my routine - Work, church, social life, etc. But now I do so with a broadened appreciation of who I am: A Chinese- Canadian.