I used to think about it every day. Whether I wanted to or not, it was something I couldn’t escape from. Being Asian.
I realised that during this past year I’ve rarely suffered from racial discomfort. Now that I am no longer working, I choose who I want to see and interact with. I no longer have to get frustrated when colleagues fail to recognise their white privilege or show their ignorance.
Contrary to what people may expect, in Fröhden, I hardly ever think about my race. Our neighbours know me – and of course I am a foreigner, but I don’t feel like I am seen as ‘the Asian’. I feel like I am me first, and then Asian, not the other way around.
I’ve been to a few events organised by and for Asians, and while it’s pretty cool to be surrounded by people who look like me and have gone through similar experiences, I wish the circumstances were different. I’d like to go to Asian events and meet other Asians without the primary theme of ‘being Asian’. Of course, it is important to discuss our experiences growing up and living in the West, and I talk about it often too (like right now), but sometimes I would just like a break from it. I’d love to see events exhibiting works by Asians where the fact that they’re Asian isn’t mentioned at all. We are more than just our race.