Culture of One

Many experiences have shaped who I am today. The one that changed my life forever was when my parents decided to adopt me from China when I was seven months old. Growing up my parents made sure I took Chinese lessons and experienced the Chinese culture. Back then, I was not very interested in learning Chinese, but now I am glad that they insisted I take it. They have greatly influenced my life by encouraging me to pursue my love of learning languages and travelling.  Throughout my childhood, we would go to China for three or four weeks to travel around. Nowadays, they always bemoan that they encouraged me too much to travel since I have studied abroad a significant part of the time that I have been at Whitworth.

Growing up as an Asian American, either in America or China I would feel ashamed when I was questioned about why I could not speak Chinese fluently. I think that is why I started seriously pursuing Chinese by listening to Chinese music, talking with my Chinese friends, and watching Chinese tv shows. However, learning Chinese soon became something that I actually enjoyed and not just something I did because I was embarrassed. That is why I decided to pursue Chinese more seriously.

My most recent study abroad trip was to China where I studied at Sichuan University in Chengdu. I encountered both great experiences and hardships during my time spent studying there. Many Chinese people that I talked to said that I was so lucky to be adopted because I had a family that loved me, a good education, and great opportunities. In America, I had just taken these things for granted, but I started to realize how different my life could have been if I had grown up in China. At the same time my identity was being questioned by many Chinese people because I look Chinese yet I cannot speak Chinese fluently. So many of the Chinese had the stereotype in mind of Americans being white so they were very confused when they discovered that I was American. These situations made me more aware of my life and others’ lives in light of preconceived notions that people have when they first meet somebody.

During my time in China I made many wonderful friends, both international and local. One Korean student, Kim Dongho, impacted my life tremendously. He challenged my ideas and we spent a lot of time just discussing the cultural differences between China, America, and Korea. He was very supportive and pushed me to improve my Chinese. We would often speak in English, Chinese, and Korean. He became fluent in Chinese in just a year and it has inspired me to wholeheartedly pursue Chinese. All these experiences that have been influenced by my friends, family, and education have shaped and impacted my life.