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What's Your Heritage?
- Thread starter ErikCLDR
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Well California is almost like its own country and it often provides an identity.
I live in England now and when people ask if I'm american I usually respond "I'm Californian."
It tickles me.
depends how exact it is made: if i just choose nationality i guess i would be 99% austrian, 1% german
if choosing states it would be different: the big chunks coming from vorarlberg(which i would consider myself) and carinthia with small traces of tyrol in the former and larger traces of styria and the before mention southern germany traces in the latter
our family name is coming from southern germany though i don't know of a family member who was born there
if choosing states it would be different: the big chunks coming from vorarlberg(which i would consider myself) and carinthia with small traces of tyrol in the former and larger traces of styria and the before mention southern germany traces in the latter
our family name is coming from southern germany though i don't know of a family member who was born there
Ethnicity-wise, I'm 100% Chinese. (But for you chinese historians out there... my father's family is/was all from the mainland, but my mother was born and raised in Taiwan. Her parents however (my maternal grandparents) were born on the mainland and moved (er... fled?) to Taiwan later in their lives. So does that make me part Taiwanese?)
I was born and raised in the States (first generation) and I am totally a child of American culture (somewhat to the chagrin of my parents).
DH is ~75% Irish, ~25% German. His family has been in the States for several generations.
So I guess I do have a little Irish in me! *chortle*
When clients at work ask me "where I'm from," I respond, "Connecticut," without missing a beat.
I was born and raised in the States (first generation) and I am totally a child of American culture (somewhat to the chagrin of my parents
).DH is ~75% Irish, ~25% German. His family has been in the States for several generations.
So I guess I do have a little Irish in me! *chortle*
When clients at work ask me "where I'm from," I respond, "Connecticut," without missing a beat.
I'm guessing that may have something to do with your appearance because...
Same. Well, I'm not from CT, and I haven't any clients, but if I'm traveling abroad or whatnot, and folks ask where I'm from, I'll say "America" and if they reply, "Nooo, where are you from?" I'll then say, "Cal-i-fornia, USA."
So I'm guessing, dukebound that one's connection to their heritage can easily depend on their appearance and how others perceive them, as well as their own upbringing and cultural experiences. I sure don't look "white," and yes, I look Asian. I've been raised with a lot of my parents' more traditional Chinese values, learned Mandarin, celebrated Chinese traditions and holidays, and so yes, I do feel a connection to my heritage. Which isn't to say that I'm not similar to aprilgrey in that I do see quite a bit of a departure in my own belief system and world views from my parents. I am most certainly more Americanized than they.
My heritage is 100% Chinese and I'm an ABC (American Born Chinese), too. As for the mainland vs. Taiwan conflict, I asked my parents (who were born in China and Taiwan but both raised in Taiwan) and they explained that it just depends on a given person's politics. Some feel very passionately that Taiwan is completely different and whatnot and that they are Taiwanese and not Chinese. My parents still feel that they are Chinese. (Of course, the dad still goes back to Taiwan to vote in the big elections
)
Displaced Texican living in Colorado (Texas with mountains).
Ethnically - half Polish, quarter Spanish with a dash of English, Scotch and Dutch.
Lifestyle - straight hippie biker geek
Z
Ethnically - half Polish, quarter Spanish with a dash of English, Scotch and Dutch.
Lifestyle - straight hippie biker geek
Z
I'm guessing that may have something to do with your appearance because...
Same. Well, I'm not from CT, and I haven't any clients, but if I'm traveling abroad or whatnot, and folks ask where I'm from, I'll say "America" and if they reply, "Nooo, where are you from?" I'll then say, "Cal-i-fornia, USA."
It's not just the Chinese (PRC/ROC). Indians get the same thing. Only I lie - I say I'm from DC when I was really raised in Maryland. I feel so sneaky.
I understand where you are coming from. With both parents being Indian immigrants, I admit to 100% Indian ancestry, but I suppose the best way to explain my heritage is ~80% American, ~20% Indian. I feel a greater kinship to Presidents Washington and Lincoln, Generals Sherman and Patton than I do to any of the significant figures in Indian history.
What? You don't feel a close kinship to your Bollywood twin, Abishek Bachchan? How hurt he must feel!
We had a conversation with some Swedes last weekend when we were out touring Amish country. They noted that it seems like a lot of foreigners will say which town they are from while Americans usually identify themselves by their state. I think part of the reason we tend to do that is because a) the country is so big and there are so many towns that the town name doesn't really identify anything and b) there are several states that reuse names (i.e. Carlsbad, CA and Carlsbad, NM, the various Springfields, etc). The obvious exceptions are places that are very common, like NYC, Boston, and LA.
In any case, as for the topic...mostly German (at least 1/4), Danish, French, English, Irish, and possibly a little Jewish (my great-grandmother was illegitimate and it was thought the father was a Jew. Yes, I know that the Jewish heritage is determined by the mother.) It's a shame since on one side I'm related to royalty--Charlemagne and one of the King Louis and some others I can't remember right now. How sucky to have lost that privilege.
Are these kind of discussions especially interesting to Americans? I've been asked that so many times and I do have to wonder. My mother was always telling me I'm x% this and y% that, but I couldn't say it made much difference since I couldn't identify ethnically with any of them. I personally find the practice too reminiscent of eugenics and the US govt's. 'Indian Blood Quantum.'
When I moved out of the US, I was never asked this question...
When I moved out of the US, I was never asked this question...
My heritage is 100% Chinese and I'm an ABC (American Born Chinese), too. As for the mainland vs. Taiwan conflict, I asked my parents (who were born in China and Taiwan but both raised in Taiwan) and they explained that it just depends on a given person's politics. Some feel very passionately that Taiwan is completely different and whatnot and that they are Taiwanese and not Chinese. My parents still feel that they are Chinese. (Of course, the dad still goes back to Taiwan to vote in the big elections
So do you consider yourself Taiwanese then?
50% Swiss with citizenship
50% American with citizenship (French, Irish and Scottish in there somewhere not too too long ago)
My heritage on the Swiss side is actually traceable back about 800 years, as my grandmother was a de Mestral, a notable French/Swiss family. Here's a de Mestral you might know of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_de_Mestral
50% American with citizenship (French, Irish and Scottish in there somewhere not too too long ago)
My heritage on the Swiss side is actually traceable back about 800 years, as my grandmother was a de Mestral, a notable French/Swiss family. Here's a de Mestral you might know of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_de_Mestral
