Hello! I am Chinese/Malaysian/Indian/Native American and I was born and raised in Malaysia.
When I was in first grade, everyone had to complete a survey and check a box for their race. Since I didn’t fit into any of the categories as a whole, I ticked “other.” Later that day, my teacher told me that I wasn’t included in the school survey because of my race. At that point, I felt like I was excluded from society.
When I was living in Malaysia, I thought I was just another typical Chinese girl. But by the time I moved to Australia at the age of seven, I realized that I was different from other Asians in my school. I was never bullied by anyone, but apparently I look “exotic” and “different.”
I hated being Hapa, I hated being different. I’ve always felt lost with my identity. But nowadays, I embrace my background and people always tell me how multicultural I am because of the number of languages that I can speak.
I celebrate both Chinese and Indian holidays. My family would always go back to Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year and some Indian festivals because we want to celebrate with our relatives. I love traveling :)
Hapa Voice 