Thursday, November 11, 2004

Where am I from?

I feel somewhat annoyed today! I dont know if its PMS (too early though) or hunger.
Was waiting for the bus (after work) and there was this (Caucasian) guy waiting as well.
He had asked me if I knew what time the bus came and I told him 3:45. There was about 15 more minutes and I was trying to read "The Edge Of Reason" (trying to finish the book before I watch the movie). Well, this guy kept making small conversaton (I wanted to concentrate on the book) and I kept giving one word answers. This guy was smoking too...maybe that's one reason I didnt feel like conversing with him.

He had then asked me "Where are you from"
I answered "I live here"
He asked "Where are you originally from"
Now I started to get annoyed.
I'm sure he asked because I'm Asian.
If I was born here..and told him that "I am originally from here...born here...lived here my whole life" I know he still would have asked question after question about my ethnicity.

Just this morning some guy told me that he was having dinner with a Chinese woman who didnt speak any English...and then asked me "What are you"...I knew he was asking my Ethnicity...and I told him I was Filipino. He made a friendly comment and said something like I couldnt help him with the Chinese language.

I'm usually okay with people asking me these questions and not bothered at all. But sometimes I feel because I'm Asian, some people feel that I'm supposed to be "from somewhere". I'm asked if I'm Cambodian / Vietnamese / Chinese / etc. When I tell people that "I'm from Guam" ... they ask me if I'm "Guamanian" ... I reply "Yes, but I'm not Chamorro" (ethnicity) .

I know I shouldn't bitch about people asking me that question. I guess its just a natural thing. I mean if I met someone with some kind of accent, I'd ask the same thing. But its strange...the times when people ask me where I'm from...and I chose to say Guam...they say something about me not having an "accent"...thus they have no idea that its a U.S. Territory/English speaking.

Suppose if I tell people I'm from Guam, but had some kind of European accent, and my features are definitely Asian...can I just screw with peoples minds and tell them that Im definitely NOT Asian. What would they say then??

Okay...maybe it is early PMS...questions like that shouldn't annoy me. I was watching some kind of documentary where the Asian writer/director was appoached by some "white" folks and they yelled at her "go back to where you're from"...and she thought to herself..."to Michigan" cuz thats where she WAS from.

I apologize. If you approach me and ask me where I'm from, I'll most likely say Guam. If you really meant what's my ethnicity, its Filipino. I dont know how to answer that question anymore because I dont know what answer you're looking for.

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