But I don't fit in with[5] my all-American friends either. My peers expect that I have perfect grades, and when I don't, they are quick in their judgment and harsh in their laughter. My achievements are often attributed to being half-Asian.[6] I am happy about my achievements and satisfied with my lifestyle, but when the response to my stories are always, “It's just because you're Asian” or “You are so Asian”, it’s hard to just brush the comments away. My friends don't mean to taunt, but something about their tone cuts deep. Again, I am similar, but not quite like everybody else, and they don't identify[7] with me the way they do with each other. I never feel quite at home among my friends.
Why?
America, and in particular, California, is a land full of immigrants. I am sure many of our parents and grandparents didn't feel quite at ease in their homeland, and that is probably part of the reason they came here. They sought acceptance and a diverse country where everyone could belong. Yet many of us seem to forget this when we stereotype each other and attribute our successes to our culture, instead of to our individual work. My successes are not because part of my family originated in China. The reason that I did well on that test was because I had studied. It's a simple fact, but it's easily forgotten in the midst of all the generalizations[8] we tend to make.
We shouldn't identify ourselves with only the color of our skin. We each have our own talents, goals, and traditions. Our similarities stretch[9] across borders and are not confined to a particular nation. I know this, yet when my peer turned to me and said, “It's just because you're Asian” after I told him my test score, I did nothing. I sighed, turned back to my work, and tried to overlook[10] his words.
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