May 27, 2003
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Being Vietnamese
I figured out this weekend how NOT Chinese I actually am after hanging out with Chinese ppl 24/7 for 3 1/2 days. People used Chinese words a LOT and I had no idea what was going on - what are they referring to? What's so funny? I don't know, but that was the first time in the history of my going to a Chinese church that I felt alienated. Dang, I kept finding myself wanting to put my two cents in about Vietnamese culture. But no one was really interested.. which made me feel like being Vietnamese was like being inferior for a weekend. But I had to stop myself and think, "Didn't I purposely CHOOSE to be with Chinese people?" There is no blame to go around. That's just the way it is.
And I am Vietnamese. But what does that mean to me?
Comments (6)
ooh do follow up - what does being vietnamese mean to you?
I also don't know Chinese (well.., I know the numbers and know 1-2 words here and there), and don't know any Cantonese at all. So I don’t understand Chinese/Cantonese jokes. And I still don't get a lot of American joke/humor, AND Indonesian humor (cuz I had a German background). I guess I can understand a little bit of humor from each culture... It's funny how one thing is funny in one culture but not in the other culture.
Sometimes I’m laughing by myself cuz I find it funny and people are like “What’s so funny???” hahaha…
im sorry MAN, thats sometimes the negative thing about ethnic groups.. it can get to be a self absorbed thing
oh no!!! I'm so sorry about that MA! we should have been more sensitive about it. You and A-net are awesome hehe. I think the reason why we were not sensitive to both of you is that we feel really comfortable with you two...that we forgot that you are not chinese. oops, sorry about that.
Sure, Nat, I'll follow-up once I begin to form some thoughts about what it means to me to be Vietnamese and NOT Chinese. It's an identity question I never thought about before.
funny thing to me is how many non-chinese there are in crossroads and even the retreat: rich, juan, tomoko, miyuki, sara, ruth..
and among those who are chinese.. yeah, there are so many types of chinese.. the indonesian ones.. the ones that speak japanese (wailun) rather than chinese.. cantonese speaking ones being like 3 or 4 of us?
hey, let's bust out the spanish jokes, howabout it? you can teach us vietnamese jokes too.. i used to call anna, "anna duk-biet tran" in college.. it was waay great. we should revel in the diversity we got.. can eddy teach us some malaysian humor? busta busta..
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