Post by FreckleFoot on May 11, 2010 2:52:41 GMT -5
How do you feel when you are exploring the culture of your 'foreign' parent? (I say 'foreign' because I don't want to close off the question to EAs born and raised in Asia.) Do you feel as if it doesn't click with you, or do you feel connected to the culture and drawn further in? Do you feel as if you've discovered more about yourself?
I have never been to my father's country and I have to admit this was the main thing I was wondering about before making this post. I try to imagine myself there, immersed in the culture, the people and the history... but when I see it I feel almost like a fraud or an impostor. If it weren't for my Asian father, wouldn't I be just another Asiaphile? Some strange white girl obsessed with a faraway land she's never been to? Am I objectifying my ancestors and their country? Would I even feel welcome, or will I be slapped in the face with the reality of just how un-Chinese I may be? I wonder... does anyone else here feel the same way? Did anyone go to their Asian parent's country and feel this way, or was it entirely different?
I have never been to my father's country and I have to admit this was the main thing I was wondering about before making this post. I try to imagine myself there, immersed in the culture, the people and the history... but when I see it I feel almost like a fraud or an impostor. If it weren't for my Asian father, wouldn't I be just another Asiaphile? Some strange white girl obsessed with a faraway land she's never been to? Am I objectifying my ancestors and their country? Would I even feel welcome, or will I be slapped in the face with the reality of just how un-Chinese I may be? I wonder... does anyone else here feel the same way? Did anyone go to their Asian parent's country and feel this way, or was it entirely different?
