Most of the people you interact with as a kid are the people you meet at school. Throughout K-12 schooling, I met plenty of great people I would happily share a laugh with or play some ball with, but only a few of them I would call Asian American. Probably like many of my peers, I did not attend school with many people that looked like me. I still made many friends regardless of if they were Asian American, but the place where I got the best representation of others that shared my cultural background was at Chinese school.
One event in particular that stands out to me is the field day among all the Chinese schools in the region that I got to participate in. What was normally a high school stadium was buzzing with people who looked like me, selling food that I never saw in school, talking and teasing each other in the language that I only heard on TV or from my parents. Being among people so clearly proud of the culture we share made me feel as if I was a part of a community more than ever before. It was really a celebration, almost a festival of culture that came together around the track. After that day, I’m convinced that sticky rice pre-race shaves off some time.
It’s one thing to be surrounded by people that look like you, but to also share a similar experience when it comes to my peers at Chinese school formed the majority of my understanding of the local Asian American community. While it was by no means my only connection to other Asian Americans, it was a great place to meet others that
I knew enjoyed and saw the same things I did every day. Whether it was a mutual scoff at some ignorant remark or sipping lemonade with jelly and chia seeds, I was fortunate enough to form connections with the families who enrolled in this school. These were experiences that I will remember for the foreseeable future when I think about how I see the Asian American community.
I have enjoyed versions of this lemon and jelly drink on countless occasions.
Comments