Hello I’m Keiko. I’m of Finnish and Japanese decent – My mother was born in Finalnd and she is of Finnish and of some Japanese decent. My Father is Full Japanese.
I was born and I grew up in Kokkola in Finland with my Mum and Dad and 5 other brothers and sisters for about 5 years. During pre-school there I was teased quite a lot about my Japanese heritage. But I eventually found friends but still no one could reason with me being also half Finnish :P Continue reading
My mom’s family is from Finland, and my father’s side is African American. I would love to find out what parts of Africa my dad’s family descended from.
I have siblings, and out of all of them I’m the only one who got freckles. I get asked a lot about what I’m mixed with, and I will usually tell people I’m a hybrid. After I have to explain that I’m part Black and Finnish.
It is great when people from different cultures fall in love. I’ve been to parts of the world where race is still somewhat of an issue. Growing up was a little tough because of culture clashes and there is that pressure of conforming to one. Having parents’ like mine, it was easy to get over differences and make friends with whoever needed a friend.
I graduated from college in May and am living in NY with my family. My mother is a Filipina immigrant who came to the US from the Philippines in the 80s to be a nanny. My dad is from Indiana and has been a preacher with a social work background for as long as I can remember. I’ve got Filipino connections and of course, white connections, but I don’t really know many mixed race/hapa individuals.
Being hapa for me has meant being “different,” knowing that I am unique, but often feeling like I am alone. I live with two cultures. Two cultures live in me. There’s this very emotionally driven Filipina part, and then there’s this mainstream logical/analytical part, and sometimes it feels as if they are conflicting. Then, there’s the communication differences that come with each part. Sometimes, things get lost in translation, and that’s when I’m just speaking English. Continue reading
