Personal Reflection: Where are you from?

When the young me was first asked the question, “Where are you from?” I was really confused to why they asked me that question? Isn’t it obvious I was born here in Australia? Since we are in Australia, isn’t it common to be from Australia? I didn’t understand it, until in primary when there were ESL students who said they were from China in my classroom. These students had similar appearances as me; the black hair, Asian almond shaped eyes and yellow skin. We looked similar, yet they were from China and I was born here in Australia. I was being confused with these students who looked similar to me. 

In the early tutorials in week one or two, we watched a youtube clip “What kind of Asian are you?” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ) I felt this clip represents my personal experience in dealing with culture and identity.  Where the guy asks her “where are you from” and finds out her heritage background is Korean she tells her “there’s a great teriyaki BBQ nearly my apartment” and “I actually really liked kimich,” statements that are associated with her Korean heritage background. 

I had a similar situation that happened to when I was doing professional engagement at a high school. I was sitting in the back of a classroom in a year 8/9 classroom and a student came up to me and asked “Where are you from miss?” I knew immediately what she meant, she was asking for my heritage background, but I wanted to see how this conversation goes, so I replied “I was born here.”

“No, I mean where are you from?”

“Sydney, Australia”

At this stage she was looking really frustrated, and then an Asian boy asked her “do you mean what her nationality or background is?” 

Then I decided to give in and said “my parents are from China” and she was like “ohhh, I thought you were Japanese.”

At this school, I was asked “where are you from” several times by the students while I was doing professional engagement and most of the student thought I was Japanese. Even when I go to work or apply for jobs, they ask me “are you on a student visa”, “where are you from?” or “how long have you been in Australia for” have become common questions to me. 

Phillips (2006) states “culture is ordinary, not exotic; it is not a peculiarity of non-hegemonic, non-western, groups, for us, whatever our cultural heritage, is shaped in some way by our culture. To be shaped, however, is not to be determined, and while individuals vary considerably in degrees of assertiveness and compliance, I am not convinced that cultures divide into those dictate and others that merely recommend. We are all shaped, but not that many of us are drive.” It is true my identity will be shaped through my cultural heritage, but this should not influence my own personality and individualism. 

References: 

•  Phillips, A. (2006). What is culture? In Arneil, Barbara and Deveaux, Monique and Dhamoon, Rita and Eisenberg, Avigail, (eds.) Sexual justice / cultural justice. London, UK : Routledge, 2006, pp. 15-29.
• Taknaka, K & Neptune, D. (2013) What kind of Asian are you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ