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| The Family Law image – news.com.au |
I am not who you think I am. I am more than my skin portrays, more than my almond shaped eyes and once upon a time black glossy hair. I am more….
I grew up holding fast to the dated 70s term ‘Eurasian’, as that is who I am and what I am.
No it is not some obscure Eastern European country (a mistake a school mate made). And no it is not some pop band.
My parents were radical in their day. My white Australian mother married a Malaysian born Chinese man. Hence my Eurasian title. I held this title close because half caste, Ching Chong and Susie Wong didn’t quite cut it when I was 8 years old. I struggled with my cultural identity and found the journey of being different in a small, conservative Rural Australian town very hard at times.
We were not as Chinese as some of my cousins and we were not as Aussie as my friends. We ate spaghetti with chopsticks and Mum and Dad made Lap Chong, a dried cured pork sausage that hung in wire boxes in the shed.
In recent years the struggle for me has dissipated. There are bigger fish to fry so to speak. But I am always interested to read about issues of identity and this piece by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen sparked my interest and has taken me to Benjamin Law’s new series The Family Law. No I am not a typical Asian gal but many may have made the mistake of thinking I am.
Nowadays it does not matter as much. I know I am more…
slowlifestill 