LOST. That's what I am. I'm 16 and I'm still uncertain about who I am. Once in a while I hear children talking about their dreams and what they want to do for the future and I can't help but wonder if something is wrong with me. I don't know what I am and what I want as my future career.
As much as I would like to tell people that I'm Filipino, I know that they know I'm not completely Filipino. I grew up in the Philippines and all my friends knew that I looked different. Then I got adopted by my great aunt and uncle and the situation made it worse. I was basically the only brown kid at my school besides my brothers and I got bullied for being different. I did not know how to speak English and no matter how much I tried to adjust to the cultural change, I knew I was different. Although I have a dual citizenship (Filipino-Canadian) I know I will never fit into those categories.
I think my friends and family are part of my identity, they influenced who I am today. Even though I can never identify myself, I get feed backs from friends and family about who I am. My friends think I am athletic because growing up I was always into sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, dance, rugby, racing etc.. My family tells me I'm very responsible and trustworthy but that's because they only see the good side of me and just cause they're my family, they see beyond my imperfections and are very forgiving about my mistakes. I think that this is a part of me because I value my family despite the fact that they are not my biological family.
I can relate to your comment about adjusting to cultural change. Moving from England was a struggle, people used to follow me around just to hear me talk, then would make fun of the things I would say such as trainers instead of running shoes. I also agree that just because we have Dual-Citizenships, doesn't mean people are ever going to see us as Canadians.
ReplyDeleteGood job Mel! I can totally relate. I'm not quite sure how to identify myself either, and a lot of the time it makes me feel lost. I think this is common to feel at our age though and it's completely okay to be unsure of your identity because our identity is changing all the time. Also, i'm the exact same way my friends and family play a huge part in my identity.
ReplyDeleteWow! It is so cool to hear about how others became who they are today!! It's so weird how we are so different but all ended up in the same place. Great work Mel!
ReplyDelete