I wish that the child me got to read posts like yours written by people whose families developed their own subcultures that is not 100% the same as either the generation that migrated or that of their country of birth and yet have aspects of both. That way, I would have had more language to understand my experience growing up and to remember that my identity is a story, not one national label. So I thank you for sharing this. I had no idea about the banana label being a thing!
Growing up as an Emirati of mixed South Iranian and Arab roots while attending a school where most subjects were taught in English, I have often not felt “Arab” enough but at same time never felt “Iranian” enough either as I never set foot in Iran and the southern Iranian culture is different from northern culture (there are lots of Emiratis of South Iranian, Zanzibari, Baluchi, Omani, Yemeni, Palestinian roots among many who been there for generations and have their own subcultures). While I can converse fine in Arabic, I tend to mix it with English in one sentence and revert to the latter with certain topics. I also never learned Farsi or Bastaki, (the latter a dying language parts of my family speak that is unique to parts of southern Iran). I laughed out loud at the video especially the scene with the board game, I can relate 😆
It's funny, at some point in our lifetimes we decide what we embrace and who we want to be. But we can never decide what other people think we are. And sometimes the things that matter most to us don't matter at all to the people we meet.
I think all sorts of people feel the "otherness" it's all over the world as travel makes the world a smaller place. I figure you just have to make friends where you can and enjoy those people who can understand you.
I kinda knew which part of Fujian my grandparents were from, it was Zhao An! Where I was from in Sarawak, we have a zhao an association. Helps with tracing the roots.
There was something funny I read a while back. While I can’t retrieve the source now, it went something like the people came to Malaysia and claimed the dialect they’re speaking to represent the whole of Fujian province (calling it Hokkien), though they’re just a small family of the dialect spoken in the province. That’s also kinda the reason why southern and northern hokkien in Malaysia sounded different!
We're so mixed in the Caribbean, I think we don't really care what the folks in the countries we're descended from say. We've basically formed our own identity, but even that comes with issues...like colourism.
It doesn't matter who we are, where we go, there will always be those who want to lord it over others through some means or the other. People, I tell you!
Sorry, I cannot let you call yourself banana if you understand some mandarin and hokkien :p growing up we only called our friends banana if they don't understand any Chinese language/dialects at all, we all can't read or write in Chinese being in a convent girl school :) nowadays I notice the younger generations do not know the Chinese dialects anymore but they learn mandarin in schools as mostly a second language. Does that make them less banana? I don't think so :) but I must say I don't feel so offended if China was being criticized, I visited there for a month once and has since decided, I still embrace my Chinese heritage in many ways, but we are really no longer the same.... I actually feel more akin to Chinese diasporas around the world, besides my fellow Chinese-Malaysian of course!
The ex was half-Taiwanese. I assume there are slightly different factors at play, but I always wondered if he'd agree to our relationship since I am wholly Filipino (although in Taipei I was mistaken—twice!—for a local).
I wish that the child me got to read posts like yours written by people whose families developed their own subcultures that is not 100% the same as either the generation that migrated or that of their country of birth and yet have aspects of both. That way, I would have had more language to understand my experience growing up and to remember that my identity is a story, not one national label. So I thank you for sharing this. I had no idea about the banana label being a thing!
Growing up as an Emirati of mixed South Iranian and Arab roots while attending a school where most subjects were taught in English, I have often not felt “Arab” enough but at same time never felt “Iranian” enough either as I never set foot in Iran and the southern Iranian culture is different from northern culture (there are lots of Emiratis of South Iranian, Zanzibari, Baluchi, Omani, Yemeni, Palestinian roots among many who been there for generations and have their own subcultures). While I can converse fine in Arabic, I tend to mix it with English in one sentence and revert to the latter with certain topics. I also never learned Farsi or Bastaki, (the latter a dying language parts of my family speak that is unique to parts of southern Iran). I laughed out loud at the video especially the scene with the board game, I can relate 😆
It's funny, at some point in our lifetimes we decide what we embrace and who we want to be. But we can never decide what other people think we are. And sometimes the things that matter most to us don't matter at all to the people we meet.
I think all sorts of people feel the "otherness" it's all over the world as travel makes the world a smaller place. I figure you just have to make friends where you can and enjoy those people who can understand you.
I think you are voicing the experience of many people. Changing countries and being immersed in more than one culture can be a curse or a gift.
I kinda knew which part of Fujian my grandparents were from, it was Zhao An! Where I was from in Sarawak, we have a zhao an association. Helps with tracing the roots.
There was something funny I read a while back. While I can’t retrieve the source now, it went something like the people came to Malaysia and claimed the dialect they’re speaking to represent the whole of Fujian province (calling it Hokkien), though they’re just a small family of the dialect spoken in the province. That’s also kinda the reason why southern and northern hokkien in Malaysia sounded different!
We're so mixed in the Caribbean, I think we don't really care what the folks in the countries we're descended from say. We've basically formed our own identity, but even that comes with issues...like colourism.
It doesn't matter who we are, where we go, there will always be those who want to lord it over others through some means or the other. People, I tell you!
Good one, Elizabeth, humour and all.
This is interesting. Black people who "act white" or "talk white" used to be called Oreos.
Sorry, I cannot let you call yourself banana if you understand some mandarin and hokkien :p growing up we only called our friends banana if they don't understand any Chinese language/dialects at all, we all can't read or write in Chinese being in a convent girl school :) nowadays I notice the younger generations do not know the Chinese dialects anymore but they learn mandarin in schools as mostly a second language. Does that make them less banana? I don't think so :) but I must say I don't feel so offended if China was being criticized, I visited there for a month once and has since decided, I still embrace my Chinese heritage in many ways, but we are really no longer the same.... I actually feel more akin to Chinese diasporas around the world, besides my fellow Chinese-Malaysian of course!
The ex was half-Taiwanese. I assume there are slightly different factors at play, but I always wondered if he'd agree to our relationship since I am wholly Filipino (although in Taipei I was mistaken—twice!—for a local).
Of course that's irrelevant now.