“Most mixed-race people associate with one race over the other.” The first time I heard this, my mind jumped to every mixed-race person I knew. Specifically, half-white, half-something-else people. Barack Obama. Henry Golding. Jo Koy. Yes, I suppose I can name ‘one race’ for each person even though they are mixed. Obama is the first … Continue reading What I Need to Say About My Mixed-Race Identity
What “American” Means to Me
I avoided it a lot. I read NPR stories about it. I liked my friend’s tweet about it. But whenever the video appeared of President Trump’s rally chanting, “send her back!”, I leapt off my chair and crawled under the desk until it was over. I’m not an immigrant. Nor am I a child of … Continue reading What “American” Means to Me
My Week of Seoul Searching
Day 1 Two words: sensory overload. Hongdae is a stacked array of Parisian-inspired dessert bars, skin food labs, multilevel arcades, karaoke bars, and cafés boasting fruity lattés topped with marshmallows and whipped cream. There’s a sleek Boba tea spot with a line of people waiting behind a velvet barrier rope. A woman with a headset … Continue reading My Week of Seoul Searching
Meeting My Korean Relatives
Let me just say, it was unreal. My mom, dad, brother, and I approach a tall building with an escalator traveling into its middle. We wander to the third floor, quietly, because the corridors are silent. (I don’t know why. This is apparently a mall. The hair salons, micro-gyms, and clothes shops must be sealed … Continue reading Meeting My Korean Relatives
