"Where are you from?"
Where are you from? For most people it's the place they grew up in, maybe even the place they were born. For others, it's where their family is from. Really, it's all about your roots. Where you lay the foundation that makes you the person that you are.
I have been fortunate enough to have lived in a few countries. I've lived a year and a half in South Korea, five years in Indonesia, eleven years in India, and the rest of the time, and the gaps between those countries has been various states in America.
So, for me, being asked "Where are you from?" has always been a tricky question to answer. Because we moved around so much, I never really felt like I belonged to a place.
That being said, my response has typically been, I'm from all over. I couldn't really say I'm from where my family is, because we were, and still are scattered all across the globe.
Growing up as a brown person in the United States however changes things. When people ask where I'm from, they are most likely curious about where my ethnicity is from. There's always that follow up question along the lines of, "But where are you really from?" if I just answered that I'm from Texas, or Ohio. I try not to be offended, and just take it that the person asking is curious about it more so than anything else. I do usually ask them where their roots are from as well. It's fair game at this point.
But at any rate, for me to answer this question means to tell them where my parents are from. And that for me was usually a fun, "Well I bet you can't tell or guess what two races I come from" game. Because as it stands, my adoptive father is from India, and my adoptive mother is from Cuba.
Now, of course before finding out about my adoption, I would tell people that I was a mutt. And to me it was cool to be so unique and different. And it was fun having them try to guess that I had Cuban in me. Because I definitely don't look like it, and it made it a challenge.
But... as discovered, I am adopted. I don't belong to the people that raised me. I don't belong to where they are from. The foundation of where I'm from was a myth, a story given to me by the people that loved me. It was never mine to take. It's what makes my adoption really hard to process. I was never told the honest truth about where I truly am from.
Recently 23andme updated their tools. They updated their Ancestry Compositions, so I have a slightly better knowledge of where in India I come from, but it still has a way to go before being close to accurate. They've also added a neat little Family Tree that will automatically fill out for you.
Here's mine.
As time goes by, and more people test their DNA, hopefully those question marks become names. Looking at this family tree is somewhat heartbreaking. When I first saw it, it made me feel like I was a one-man family tree. My roots are unknown. I know that there are people out there to fill it with. But as of now, I don't know if I will ever know them. And that's a tough reality to have to face.
What I do know is that I have two amazing children of my own. And together, we can make an amazing tree. We may not know where the roots are from, but we can still make a damn good one from here on out.
My children may have half an answer as to where they are from on their mother's side. But from me, they just get India as a whole until we can figure out more.
I don't know how I will answer this question going forward. But I will be open and honest about it. And most likely make it weird and awkward as ever, just because I can. Might as well still have some fun with it. After all, with all these unanswered questions, "Your guess is as good as mine."
I have been fortunate enough to have lived in a few countries. I've lived a year and a half in South Korea, five years in Indonesia, eleven years in India, and the rest of the time, and the gaps between those countries has been various states in America.
So, for me, being asked "Where are you from?" has always been a tricky question to answer. Because we moved around so much, I never really felt like I belonged to a place.
That being said, my response has typically been, I'm from all over. I couldn't really say I'm from where my family is, because we were, and still are scattered all across the globe.
Growing up as a brown person in the United States however changes things. When people ask where I'm from, they are most likely curious about where my ethnicity is from. There's always that follow up question along the lines of, "But where are you really from?" if I just answered that I'm from Texas, or Ohio. I try not to be offended, and just take it that the person asking is curious about it more so than anything else. I do usually ask them where their roots are from as well. It's fair game at this point.
But at any rate, for me to answer this question means to tell them where my parents are from. And that for me was usually a fun, "Well I bet you can't tell or guess what two races I come from" game. Because as it stands, my adoptive father is from India, and my adoptive mother is from Cuba.
Now, of course before finding out about my adoption, I would tell people that I was a mutt. And to me it was cool to be so unique and different. And it was fun having them try to guess that I had Cuban in me. Because I definitely don't look like it, and it made it a challenge.
But... as discovered, I am adopted. I don't belong to the people that raised me. I don't belong to where they are from. The foundation of where I'm from was a myth, a story given to me by the people that loved me. It was never mine to take. It's what makes my adoption really hard to process. I was never told the honest truth about where I truly am from.
Recently 23andme updated their tools. They updated their Ancestry Compositions, so I have a slightly better knowledge of where in India I come from, but it still has a way to go before being close to accurate. They've also added a neat little Family Tree that will automatically fill out for you.
Here's mine.
What I do know is that I have two amazing children of my own. And together, we can make an amazing tree. We may not know where the roots are from, but we can still make a damn good one from here on out.
My children may have half an answer as to where they are from on their mother's side. But from me, they just get India as a whole until we can figure out more.
I don't know how I will answer this question going forward. But I will be open and honest about it. And most likely make it weird and awkward as ever, just because I can. Might as well still have some fun with it. After all, with all these unanswered questions, "Your guess is as good as mine."
