Asian-American v. American Asian
My coffee lady, Christina, is always trying to convert me to “Asianism.” She wants me to learn Korean, embrace my cultural heritage, go to her church, etc. There are a million things that make us different from one another, and normally I don’t even think about it. today, though, I was struck by one little thing.
We were talking about our weekends and she noticed that I’d gotten some sun. She had too, she said, but she hates it. Makes her freckles come out. i LOVE when my freckles come out in the summer! She is, of course, an ageless Asian beauty with clear, light skin. I think I look sickly in the winter when I get so white and I think my freckles make me look friendlier. When I was little i used to cry because I got so dark. Now I love it.
…another random observation…
I’m struck by two things in this observation: 1. the focus on those “million things that make us different”; and 2. thinking in particular about the one that’s self aggrandizing.
