Tag Archives: Chinese

Filipino, Chinese, Caucasian

hapa295My name is Vince and I currently live and work in San Francisco. My mom is a native of the Philippines (her father was part Chinese), and my dad has had his roots in the US for several decades.

I was born and raised in a small suburb about 20 miles east of Sacramento. It was a very quiet and conservative town while I was growing up, with nearly 95% of the population being Caucasian. While I did enjoy my childhood and wouldn’t trade it for anything, I always felt different growing up as the only kid I knew who wasn’t fully white.

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Filipina, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Irish, Scottish, French

hapa294My parents met when my dad (Czech, Irish, Scottish, and French – born and raised in Ohio) served a Peace Corps mission in the Philippines where my mom lived with her family. He brought her back to the United States, where I was born.

When I was seven, my family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where most people were white and Mormon.

I remember getting teased a few times because my eyes were “like this” (as kids would pull the corners of their eyes up), but in general I got along with everyone. Continue reading →

Indonesian Chinese

hapa291Hello everyone, my name is Clarissa. I am Indonesian Chinese. I’ve lived in South Korea and Indonesia.

Sometimes people can’t guess what my ethnicity is. They think I’m either Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Singaporean, Filipino, or Taiwanese, especially when I lived in South Korea or traveled outside Indonesia.

Being Hapa is a blessing for me. I’ve learned to be a chameleon, to be open minded, and to respect different points of view.

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Korean, Chinese, Hawaiian, English, Scottish, French

hapa289I am the bouncing baby boy of two wonderful Hapa parents.

My mom is Korean and English and my dad is Chinese, Hawaiian, Scottish and French.

Despite my parents both having brown eyes and dark hair, I inherited genes that go back quite a few generations on both my parent’s sides. Isn’t that cool.

Being that my parents are both proud Hapas I know I will be raised to appreciate all the cultures that make up my wonderful ethnic background.

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Filipino, Chinese, Spanish

hapa286I’m Edward Guillar and I’m Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish.

I haven’t really felt different while living here in the Philippines, though a lot of people tell me I’m quite good looking. I haven’t been to other countries so I can’t have a comparative understanding of what other people think of me from that perspective. But living here in the Philippines is really amazing, I can be who I want to be without worrying about what other people think of me.

I guess I want to share something to all Hapas out there! Just be yourself and know yourself because if you don’t others will do it for you, and you may not like it. Whatever race or ethnicity you are, you’re a human being capable of loving and sharing your talents with the world, and that’s what really matters. Smile and be happy because there is only one race and that is human race!

Chinese, Romanian, British

hapa285To those who are mixed, melded, and molded by a variety of races and cultures,

My name is HanLing Petredean, a name that inspires a paradoxical sense of isolation and increased connectivity. Presently a student at Harvard University, I’ve had the chance to break from my Californian roots and experience what it is to be Hapa on both coastlines. Raised by racially divergent yet emotionally compatible parents, I grew up in the sun and surf of California’s central coast.

My mother is Chinese, a native of the Jiangsu province, and was persuaded to move to the US after my American father met and eventually wooed her during his time in China. The two of them have inspired a respect for my Asian heritage quite unique to my predominantly Caucasian hometown.

Identity I believe, is enmeshed in personal identification, not necessarily confined to race nor heritage. In my eyes, the best aspect of being Hapa is the buffet-esque quality of our backgrounds. Think about it. We can essentially pick and choose the choicest qualities of our respective cultures. From China I have been gifted with the sport of Wushu, a form Chinese martial arts. From my “American” side, a love for individualistic expression and an appreciation for the diversity found rampant American society.

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Chinese, Japanese, Spanish

hapa277My name is Melanie Sumi Tong and I’m Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.

Until recently, I didn’t even know about the word “Hapa.” I went with my grandmother and dad to Hawaii this past summer and felt at home there. I talked to my dad about this a bit and he said it’s because I was Hapa.

It felt freeing for a while knowing that I didn’t have to identify as one or the other but Hapa. I went to Little Tokyo a few months ago and saw the Hapa exhibit and it felt good knowing that were others like me.

I’ve been asked a lot about what I was and the response ranges from “Really? You don’t look Asian,” to “That’s cool. I can see it now,” but that’s okay with me.

My Asian genes have blessed me with very pretty dark hair which can be really oily at times while my Spanish side has given me wavy frizzy hair which is fine by me since I don’t like to curl my hair anyway. I grew up in two worlds which was a blessing in disguise because it’s given me a great set of values and made me more open to learning about other cultures.

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Chinese, Polish

hapa269Hey! My name is Dominic Poon. I’m 20 and I’m currently studying at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

Throughout my life, being half Chinese half Polish has had its ups and downs. From a young age, I always thought I was just an ordinary kid who got along well with every other kid.

However, as I got older I started to realize that I knew no one who shared a similar heritage to me (apart from my siblings), and so became conscious about the way I looked as compared to other people.

Like most Hapas, I experienced an identity crisis, not being able to really fit in to my Polish side or my Chinese side (and sometimes still feel this way).

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Filipino, Chinese, Spanish, Malaysian

hapa268Hello everyone:)

I am so happy that I discovered this site this year because it made me realize how happy I am to be Hapa!

My name is Joy Stephanie. I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. I came to America when I was 8 years old.

I did not really question my ethnicity when I was little for some reason. I did not know that I was mixed with Chinese, Spanish and Malaysian until I was in 5th grade.

My mom is Filipino and Spanish and my dad is Filipino and Chinese. My grandma (from my mom side) has some Spanish descent. I think my mom told me that I also have some Malaysian blood.

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