Tag Archives: Swedish

Swedish, Filipino

hapa278Hi, we’re Michael (44), Mia (40) and Lisa (30).

Our Swedish dad and Filipina mom were introduced when their friends’ schools arranged a letter exchange to improve students’ English. We grew up in both countries, plus some other ones as well.

Michael married a Filipina and divides his time between Sweden and the Philippines; the sisters both settled in the UK, where for some inexplicable reason they always felt the most at home. We’re all addicted to travel. Our personalities are very different, but share an unusual background, and Mom’s Asian family values have kept us close-knit.

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Taiwanese, Swedish

hapa273Hey I’m half Taiwanese and half White, my “whiteness” being Swedish.

There are other half and half kids that look full Asian or full Caucasian, but I think I’m a mix. In some of my pictures people tell me that I look “so Asian,” while in others, “you look so white.”

My family and I don’t really celebrate American holidays. We do celebrate Thanksgiving in a way, but we eat mainly Chinese food (the best food, in my opinion). We celebrate Chinese New Year by going to our local Chinatown. That’s always fun. I haven’t really struggled being Hapa; I like being different.

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Swedish, Filipino

Hello there, I’m Rachelle (:

I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t identified myself as Hapa until recently.

Ever since I was a child I’ve always identified myself as Swedish since that’s all I really knew.

The few times I’ve seen my mother, she’s never given me a good reason to be proud of being Filipino, and to be honest I was rather ashamed and resented my Filipino culture. Continue reading →

Indian, Syrian, Japanese, Swedish

Hi, my name is Amanda and I’m a proud Hapa.

My dad is Indian and Syrian and identifies a Middle Eastern and my mom is Japanese and Swedish.

I was born in Canada, but after my mom lost her job we moved to my grandma’s house in Sweden.

I was 12 when we moved and my dad had to homeschool me because I couldn’t speak Swedish. Continue reading →

Filipina, Chinese, Mexican, Belgian, Swedish

My name is Valerie Neiman-Yu and I was born and raised in San Diego, CA!

Living in California, it is not uncommon to see other people of mixed race. Plus, having my sister and two brothers growing up, I never really felt out of place.

My mother was born in the Philippines but moved and was raised in Monterey, CA since she was five years old. My father was born in San Luis Obispo to a Mexican mother and a white father. They met when they were both at school at UCSD in the late 70s and early 80s. A few years later, they had my brother and rest is history.

I like being mixed-race and kind of like it that I can keep people guessing abotu my ethnicity. I’m proud to be FULL HAPA!! :>

Filipino, Swedish, Austrian, Hungarian

I am a 31-year-old whose mother is a Filipina through-and-through, and whose father is of European-American descent (Swedish, Austrian, Hungarian).

I don’t want to share too many personal instances from my childhood but after my first 18 years of life, I identified myself as being more Filipino. However, it wasn’t until I started college, having been involved in multicultural student organizations, that I really gained awareness of my cultural identity. When I met peers and made friends who grew up with the same cultural background as mine, I slowly but surely began to embrace my biculturalism.

Because of this, I now never feel awkward when people ask what my ethnic origins are. I would rather have people straightforwardly ask me than just look at me and assume.

In any case, I am proud of being biracial, and proud of having been raised bilingually and biculturally because it all has added a dimension to my life which I can continually explore, and from which I can always learn something new.

Scottish, British, French, Swedish, Japanese, Filipina

I was born Analina Marea Stewart to a British, French, Japanese, Filipina mother and a father of Swedish and Scottish descent.

I grew up in Buffalo, New York, where there were not that many people of mixed descent. Growing up, I had no other Hapas to identify with except for my sister, Rachael. People always mistook me for being full Caucasian or ‘something they just can’t put their finger on.’ It’s usually the blue eyes that get them.

It delights me when people are surprised to learn that I am part Asian or when they start speaking Japanese to me, a language that I hope to become fluent in. (:

Up until recently, when I moved to Southern California for school, I did not identify as a Hapa and had not even heard of the term. But now, knowing what it is, I  proudly identify as a not parts or bits of anything, but as a whole Hapa.