in recent years, but this time, the fear tore into the heart of my being. It forced me to look at my own Asianness and the reality that I am a target of hatred toward Asian Americans whether I feel like a “real Asian” or not.
The only problem is my outsides never fell away. My Korean skin is part of me, and growing up not acknowledging it didn’t make it go away. And so my ethnic identity became an empty shell ― Korean on the outside, without the richness of cultural knowledge and experience to flesh it out. Later, in college, I learned there was a name that some people used for people like me: “banana” ― yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
Real Koreans, I concluded, must be the ones who learned all the customs and practiced them at home with their Caucasian families. Real Koreans whose parents didn’t immerse them in Asian culture as babies ran out and learned the Korean language as soon as they left home. Since I didn’t take it upon myself to learn the culture as a young adult, I didn’t think I could call myself a real Korean.
The author at six months, arriving at JFK airport from Seoul, where she met her parents for the first time .In my 20s and 30s, I never learned anything Korean because I thought that any attempts I made were feeble and too little, too late. I was afraid of other people’s judgment but slowly realized that the only person judging me was myself.
It was in that vulnerable state, just one week later, that I began my online Korean language class. Having the courage to speak Korean words in front of people was terrifying and life-altering. It helped me to push past my imposter hang-ups and gave me permission to learn something that would ultimately help me feel less like an imposter.
Once again, HuffPo starts to create race division. That 'WHITE PEOPLE BAD!' and they should never be allowed to adopt anyone but white kids lest they be accused of waging cultural assimilation. As the saying goes, 'When in Rome....'
This statement seems really mean to the people that loved and cared for her, she means her parents? : As a Korean adoptee, I was raised to be like the white people I grew up with. It helped me fit in and feel a “part of” most of my life.
Thank you ❤️ Adoptive Mom here 👋🏼 Hearing these words helps so much. We have honored our child’s birth country, but we can still do more. Wonderful reminder!!
I am so sorry, that should never happen but I know that it does, some friends of mine adopted a baby girl from China. They have done everything humanly possible to immerse her in Chinese culture, more people need to do this.
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