Japanese, Mexican

hapa284Hi! My name is Anne, and I’m half Japanese and half Mexican. My dad is Mexican-American and grew up in East LA, and my mother grew up in a small city in Kyushu, Japan called Tosu.

I grew up in Montebello (near Los Angeles) in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, speaking Japanese at home with my mother and spending time with my Mexican extended family. Even though I knew a handful of other Hapas, I was not always comfortable with my identity.

I specifically remember filling in the “What is your ethnicity?” bubble on standardized tests. I made sure to alternate between “Asian” and “Hispanic” during my elementary school years, for fear that my parents would find out and get upset with me for denying either side of my heritage. Eventually it became a hassle to remember what I filled out the year before, and by the time I reached middle school, I settled for filling in “Other.”

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Chinese, Mexican

Hey everyone! I’m Elizabeth Yu, from Southern California and I’m half Chinese and half Mexican, proud to be both (:

My mom is Mexican and my dad is Chinese, not a common combination huh? I’ve never met another half Mexican half Chinese in my life (of course besides my little brother — and he actually looks more Asian than me).

Some people think I’m just full Mexican with Asian eyes (because some Mexicans do have Asian eyes yet aren’t Asian at all).

When I would go out with my mom, I didn’t really enjoy it when I was the only Asian there. People would always look at me, or they would assume I speak Spanish, and my grammar isn’t that good.

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Filipino, German, Mexican

I am half Filipino, a quarter German, and quarter Mexican.

Both my parents are half Filipino so I’ve always joked that I’m Hapa from Hapas. I am 50 years old and when I was a kid there were only a couple of other half Filipinos in my mostly white school.

Since I was the generation of the Brady Bunch and lived in the suburbs, I thought we were just like everyone else. We lived in a big house on a hill, got a new family car every 3 years, took vacations to the beach in the summer, and went skiing in the winter. My father worked hard to provide for us and there wasn’t a time that I had any needs and wants that didn’t get fulfilled.

Then in the 6th grade, I had a teacher who was raised in the South who was very prejudiced. She told us about how people were tortured and persecuted for the color of their skin. She paused and looked at me with a sneer. It was that moment I looked around and realized I was different on the outside.

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Korean, Native American, Mexican

Hi I’m Levy Reynolds and my Korean name is Yung Choi.

I’m an adoptee from Seoul, South Korea. I don’t know who my birth parents were expect that my birth mom was Korean and my birth dad was Mexican and Native American.

I haven’t really looked that deeply into any of my cultural backgrounds, I’ve just lived my life as a typical American. However, recently I’ve started exploring them more. I hope to visit Seoul, South Korea, the Lakota Nation in the Dakotas, and Mexico, especially the Northern States.

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Mexican, Filipina, German

Hi everyone! My name is Elizabeth Harvey and am from the San Francisco Bay Area.

My grandma was German and Mexican, raised in Tampico, Mexico, and she migrated to the US in the late 60′s. My father is German and Mexican, and my mother is Filipino. My grandparents on my mother’s side originated from Mindanao, Philippines.

I am very grateful for being exposed to my culture at such an early age. One of the first conversations I can remember with my parents was about how my family comes from both Mexico and the Philippines and how they are similar historically (since both countries were at once colonized by Spain), and how Tagalog (the main language of the Philippines) has a lot of Spanish influence.

I enjoyed growing up in the Bay Area, because I was able to experience different ethnic foods and go to a lot of cultural events. At home my mom and dad cooked both traditional Filipino and Mexican dishes. My dad would play traditional Spanish love songs and show me how beautiful Spanish sounds. Continue reading

Japanese, Brazilian, Mexican, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Otomi

My name is Ana Silvia de Siqueira.

My mother is Tulia Orta and my father is Ivan de Siqueira.

My mom is mixed with with French, Spanish, Mexican, and Otomi.

My father is mixed with Brazilian, Japanese, and Portuguese. I love the fact that I’m mixed.

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Mexican, Japanese

My name is Cindy and I was born in Southern California to a Mexican mother and a Japanese father.

Unfortunately, my birth parents couldn’t keep me and I was eventually  adopted by a Mexican-American family. We moved to Japan when I was three; five years later, our family journeyed back to the States, where we’ve lived ever since.

My mother told me of my origins just after I graduated from high school; as a result, many of my questions have been answered, and I hope to get the rest down in the future. Continue reading

Mexican, Polish, Japanese, French

I thought it might be fun to type in my ethnic background into Google and see what happened.

I was amazed that there is a whole site dedicated to Hapas!

I have gone my life being asked, “What nationality are you?”  It has been annoying at times especially while growing up and trying to fit in with the rest of the kids.

As an adult, it is another story.  I like the comments and especially the compliments!  I now have two Hapa kids that are so beautiful.

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