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I'm new to the forum, but I'm curious what y'all think about race and ethnicity and heritage and culture.
I am adopted from China when I was almost 2, but now as an adult I don't know how to really identify when it comes to ethnicity and heritage.
My adopted parents are both white and basically all of my friends and family are white, so I never really grew up with any Asian influence. But at the same time, I don't feel comfortable identifying as white and American, even if my life has reflected it.
Anyone have any advice or opinions on this?
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I agree with this completely, I am adopted from Russia, My birth mom is Russian and by birthfather is from Uzbekistan. I do not look like my parents. i wish i grew up learning more about Russian culture. I feel the same i dont feel comfterable identifying as white/american either, even though some people say I might look white and i grew up in D.C. But my blood is different.
I'm new to the forum, but I'm curious what y'all think about race and ethnicity and heritage and culture.I am adopted from China when I was almost 2, but now as an adult I don't know how to really identify when it comes to ethnicity and heritage. My adopted parents are both white and basically all of my friends and family are white, so I never really grew up with any Asian influence. But at the same time, I don't feel comfortable identifying as white and American, even if my life has reflected it.Anyone have any advice or opinions on this?
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Hi Rebecca, I was adopted from China when I was 1 year old. A lot of my friends and family are also Caucasian. When I was growing up, I would think of myself as 50% Chinese and 50% American. But then I went to China to study abroad, and I realized I am pretty much 100% American. I have always struggled with the fact that I obviously look Chinese on the outside, but I feel very American. Sometimes I feel the need to explain myself to new people by giving the disclaimer that I was adopted. I feel like it puts people at ease and makes them think “oh she is still one of us” because I have lived in the US all my life. I have realized that I am ashamed of being adopted because it is painful to know that my birth parents gave me up. I know they probably had very legitimate reasons to give me away and that I have a better life because of it, but that does not erase the pain. My goal is one day to get to a place where I am proud to say I am adopted. I hope you get there one day too.