Tag Archives: Cambodian

Cambodian, Chinese

I never knew there was a name for someone of mixed heritage. I am Cambodian from my dad’s side and Chinese from my mom’s side.

Growing up, I felt I wasn’t Cambodian enough or Chinese enough because Cambodians thought I looked too western/mixed and always made me feel that I was trying to act ”above them,” and Chinese people always saw my skin as being too dark.

When they’d see both my sister and I, they wouldn’t believe we were sisters because she is so Chinese/western looking and I was often called the “ugly one.” Even though I am of Asian descent, some Asian races actually discriminate against each other and for a while I felt ashamed to be who I was.

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Hispanic, Cambodian

Hello my name is Leylah and I am Hispanic and Cambodian.

My mother was born in Mexico, in the city of Coahuila and was raised in Southern Texas. My father was born and raised in Cambodia, city of Phnom Penh and migrated to California at the age of 17.

My parents were both intelligent and made their lives as Americans but never left out their cultures and taught us well. Being raised by parents of different cultures and ethnicities gave me the privilege to learn how to speak Cambodian, Spanish, and English.

I sometimes get asked what my ethnicity is because sometimes people can’t always point out what I am — although I do get that I look full Hispanic most of the time. Growing up, I was always confused on what I should bubble in on surveys for what ethnicity I was and learned that being different was cool! Continue reading →

Cambodian, French, Persian, Chinese, German, Irish

My name is Summer Ray and I am Cambodian, French, Persian, and Chinese on my mom’s side and German, Irish, and English on my dad’s side. My mom was born in Cambodia and her parents were assassinated by the Khmer Rouge. My mom and her siblings were then sent to the U.S. and were raised by family friends. She eventually met my dad, a California native. The combination of my ethnicity is truly unique and something I enjoy about myself very much.

People often ask me about my ethnicity because of my very fair skin and almond shape eyes. Some people are surprised when they hear I am part Asian while others are curious about what kind of Asian I am. I have a lot of people tell me how exotic I look. I have never been called a “hapa” except by my aunt on my mom’s side who uses it to describe a mixture of ethnicities. I love being mixed and would never want it any other way!