Samantha Wu | IN FOCUS EDITOR
To most people, a twinkie is a snack cake with a whipped cream centre. But used in reference to someone like me, it refers to a person who is “yellow on the outside but white on the inside” – a person of Asian decent who has been raised in the West. Their knowledge of their native Asian culture may be limited as well as their understanding of their native language.
As a Chinese-born Canadian – the first generation in my family – I always thought I inherited the best of both worlds; Chinese customs, traditions and a working understanding of a foreign language, with the modern ideals and freedoms of being Canadian. But I knew I stood out, ever since I was sent to a predominantly Caucasian preschool.
My high school had a larger population of Asian students, many of whom were international students from Hong Kong and Korea, who arrived in Ontario for a benefits of a North American education.
My encounter with racial remarks here would not come from those of different race than me, but from my own cultural peers, the other Chinese students. To them, I wasn’t Chinese enough.
There is a Cantonese term, juk sing, that translates to being “caught between the notch of a bamboo stick,” referring to those caught between cultures: westernized, but not fully incorporated by being genetically different; though Chinese, not entirely accepted due to western ideals, attitudes and a lack of proficiency in the language.
The comments and heckling that weren’t whispered but shouted behind my back, in Cantonese assuming that I wouldn’t understand, followed me. Though I had already begun developing a thick skin, this was harder to take – my own people turning on me as an outsider.
No one can choose what race one belongs to or the place one was born. What is someone who is caught in the middle supposed to do?
Canada prides itself in its multicultural mosaic and the diversity of its population. But at the same time, it can be difficult for the children of immigrants to retain the traditions and language of their parents’ home in a sea of North American culture.
It is important for those with ethnic background to learn and immerse themselves in their own culture, to learn their mother tongue and customs from the homeland.
The ability to draw from two drastically different cultures is also important and should not be looked down upon, as this is a nation where cultural diversity is supposed to be celebrated.
