Okay... so I've been way out of the loop. But, my new favorite person is Jenna Ushkowitz. She looked stunning at the Golden Globes last night... and when I looked at her name, I thought "she has to be either adopted... or married... or her father has to be a non-Korean person..."Isn't it funny how we adoptees go through all of the scenarios? I have this conversation with adoptive families all the time... We want to ask, but it feels so wrong.
Anyway, on a side note... the all-knowing Wikipedia page called Jenna a "Korean-American." As an adoptee, I always feel like that's weird.
Do any other adoptees/adoptive families feel that way? The reason I say this... is because... when I was at the University of Kansas, there was a Korean Student Association and an Asian American Student Union. The AASU was for anyone. The KSA was for Korean international students. So, I've always separated the two in my head-- I like to say I'm Korean-born. I get all weird when I call myself a Korean-American. Even though, I am Korean. Does that make any sense?
I'd just like to know what other people think.
2 comments:
I feel like figuring out what to call myself is one of the more challenging aspects of finding myself as an adoptee. There was a KSA at my university too, but most of the students were second generation kids. There was also a HAPA (half-asian/part asian) group and SKAA (Student Korean Adoptees Association), but those have disbanded since I graduated. I've sort of gotten it in my head to call myself "Asian-American", but I have a feeling that this is a temporary thing and when I have kids, I'll have to look a little deeper to figure out how I want them to understand their identity.
Personally, I say "Korean adoptee" like we're our own race or culture. "Korean-American..." it doesn't quite fit the bill, y'know? To me, there's been too many times the all knowing white American guy asks:
"So are you American?"
"I guess so, I'm an adopted Korean"
"When did you come over?"
"3 months"
"Oh, so you're American"
How bloody frustrating. That or being called white. That gets right under my tan hide. Then, at Korean school...ha ha, if anything makes one feel alienated it's being a huge second grader again.
So...not quite Korean. Not quite American. But I know a lot of adoptees feel like this, so I take pride in being an adoptee, like we're our own race or culture through experience, like war vets, or the Donner party...minus, you know, the eating people bit.
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