I’m Tim Singratsomboune, and I find multiraciality to be awesomely captivating.
Son of a nominally Buddhist, Laotian-refugee father and a nominally Protestant, working-class, general-White-American-stock mother, I have always found the mixing of two cultural worlds in my identity to be more of a positive. Hapa-ness just adds another interesting layer to an identity.
My parents divorced when I was young and I was raised by my mother. Sadly, my father never really tried to integrate me or my siblings into anything Laotian. He wanted us to be American.
And although I grew up under the influences of my undeniably American mother, I’ve always personally felt as much an outside observer to average, White American culture as I have to Laotian culture.
Not complaining. I have a wider perspective due to my parents decision to break the race barrier.
Though, amusingly, nobody has ever correctly guessed my races. People hardly ever guess that I’m Asian; especially Southeast Asian. Persian, Palestinian, Greek, Assyrian, Mexican, Armenian, Turkish, or even just Anglo-Saxon American are a few that I get. Still not a complaining. Just gives me a better platform from which I can share my heritage.
Hapa Voice 