Identity What am I? I am a product of my society ? I am a product of my culture? Or am I both? I look Asian, but am I really? I've been told I do not ACT "Asian", traditional Asian stereotype... I am too forward, or not docile enough. Am I supposed to "act" Asian because I visually appear as one? Warm honeyed skin, straight dark hair , almond shaped eyes, bulbous nose. Of all the times I am told to act "Asian" to to TRY to LOOK "more Asian" as in lightening the skin, or should I dare say "whiten", why must they try to make me feel bad or ugly for not looking the SAME as THEM? I get that scarring is not aesthetically pleasing, but to tell someone that they SHOULD be lighter, especially if you are Chinese, that's is just prejudice. Ethnic prejudice, even towards people who share the same "culture". I am very comfortable with the skin I am in thank you very much! I love being Olive skin, it's like "yellow" with noticeably green. Hence I look like a green olive, with lashes! Am I "white"? I certainly so not look Caucasian. Growing up in multicultural Toronto, I guess I am more socially associated with Western culture and attitude. I am not "white" either. An old friend of mine said to me "You can take the girl out of a Jew(ish area ), but you can't take the Jew out of the girl!" The majority of my friends are Jewish, growing up with them allowed me to be a part of their culture too. I love making and eating Matzo ball soup. Anytime over chicken noodle soup! I embrace it all! As my Calabrese (Italian) man tells me. "I don't know what you are; you are not Asian, you are not White, you are a little Canadian. I donno (don't know). You are something else, I still trying to figure out - what makes you so different? But you are mine!" At least I am Canadian 😊 For the record I am Teojiu 潮州 Chiu chow/ chaozhou) and very proud to be! 自己人 Language family- Sino-Tibetan Sino Chinese Min language family South min teojiu (1/55 south min languages)