I love this post, you struck a real chord here 💕💕💕 My parents are Filipino, but I was born and raised in Canada with mostly other Filipino immigrants and first gens, and now I live in Japan for work. I can actually fluently understand my parent’s mother tongue, but I find it too embarrassing to practice speaking out loud because my thick Canadian accent never lets me say anything right (and friends and family let me know). When I’m in Canada, people call me Filipino - when I’m in the Philippines, people call me “American” (it’s the accent 😂) Like what Gabriel Iglesias said about always being called a Mexican-American comedian until he went to the Middle East, I had to go all the way around the world (Japan) to get called a plain old Canadian. It’s awkward sometimes to never have full knowledge of or be fully recognized as either culture I grew up with and instead occupy a third category, but what I’m beginning to accept is that what I am is a foreigner, permanently, no matter where I go. I will always step on people’s toes a little, miss something that everyone else thinks is obvious, and know something cool that other people don’t because I’m a foreigner. I’m from outer space and I’m about to invade your comfort zone 👽
Wow it is really a unique experience, I was born and raised in Nepal so it wasn’t that different for me. However, we have our caste and religion which could get confusing at times. My mom and dad are both Buddhist but from different caste( different last names)and during gatherings it would get confusing and I didn’t make many friends because of that (I don’t know how to explain it properly😟). I felt like I was never “Lama” enough or “Sherpa” enough but I eventually grew out of it as it didn’t really matter when I grew up. I was in boarding school from grade 2 to grade 10 so I didn’t have to experience that awkwardness.
Thank you for sharing your message , I've always felt like that. I was brought up by my grandparents and did not have much contact with my mother or father. I was brought up in a Korean household however I do not look it. My father was a Turkish kurdish man and my mother was more English however my nan lived in Korea for much of her younger life so she brought me up similar to the way she was brought up. I got massively judged by my father's family because I was never Muslim enough and I could learn Korean but always struggled to learn Turkish. I never looked Korean and i didn't look Turkish I just looked like a white girl. And when I went out with my nan people would stare when I spoke Korean. I do feel as if In-between worlds and I bring my daughter up showing her the importance of being multiple things.
I’m half filipino and half white and I never really felt I fit in anywhere! Growing up the asian people around me never saw me as asian. It was always you don’t count or I’ve even saying that I was ugly because I was half or being called a mutt! White people will never see me as white and no matter what I will always stick out in either group. During family gatherings it just feels weird because I look so different from everyone. I would go thru phases trying to be accepted by both sides, changing how I looked, my interests, how I dressed, etc. But it never made me feel any better. It’s just this strange grey area. When asked what do I feel more of I honestly don’t feel more Asian and I don’t feel more white. I literally feel like I’m stuck in between which is what I am haha. Why do I have to choose one? If I were to say I felt more asian some people would list so many things telling me no you’re not, and same if I were to choose white. People will always say or think something, there’s no use trying to convince them. It used to be a huge conflict inside me and now I’m like okay think whatever you want lol. The only time it really bothers me is when people ask what I am and I say “oh I’m half white and half Filipino” and they say “but you don’t look asian”. It’s like okay?? That’s not something that was in my control. “Stuck in between worlds” is something I’ve felt my whole life and you know it’s okay! It’s fun I get to experience two cultures and have a family on the other side of the world that i can visit! I say the best part of the Oreo is the filling anyways haha.
Karen, thanks so much for sharing your story, it hits so close to home! When I was younger I also felt stuck “in between worlds”, never feeling 100% Latina especially because I didn’t speak Spanish. As I got older, I learned that there is no perfect way to be Latina. I can still embrace and be proud of my culture--even if I can only speak some spanish with an American accent 😆
I was born in Manila in the Philippines and after moving to the US i had basically the same experiences that Karen talked about in her videos. I also didnt have any asian friends until late into middle school when i moves to cali. And only then, did i find people who accepted and loved being Asian. And i think thats because there were more Asians in Cali. I also found that i didnt know much about Asian culture until moving to Cali, which led me to love and accept my Fil-Am(filipino-american) self :)
i played all sorts of sports all my life and i also loved putting on makeup / getting snatched for school (had to have makeup wipes in my bag at all times 😂 sorry Susan Yara, if you're watching, i always second cleansed after playing sports lol). does it count as in between worlds hehe?
I felt this so much. Even now that I’m in my 30s I still struggle with this from time to time. Not nearly as much as when I was a child going between countries but I still feel very different when I’m with my other family members who were not raised in this country. Being half of two very strong cultures is complicated because they both make me feel like the “weirdo” lol But honestly for the most part I do enjoy being the “different” one on both sides.