The way others view us all too often affects the way we see ourselves. Though those around us cannot see what is going on inside us, or who we are within, we have a certain degree of credence that is placed in these people. This is something I experience all too often as an Asian American. My peers perceive me as smart simply because of my race. I felt pressured to be smart, to always have the right answers. When I was wrong, a perfectly normal thing, I felt as if I had betrayed my culture somehow. How could I get anything less than an A? I was dirtying the image that my fellow Asian Americans had helped to create. Or perhaps I didn’t even deserve this title.
However, I can’t simply pin the blame on those around me. The expectations of others …show more content…
Asian Americans only follow the rules. They never think for themselves. Those nerds over there, those Asians, those are the ones you can walk all over. Another thing that contributes to my refusal to simply be bossed around is my gender. Being female has also played an enormous part of shaping me into the determined person I am. But that’s a whole other essay. It was the striving to be more than just a follower, that made me who I am today. I have to say, I’m thankful, in a way, for those challenges because overcoming them has really pushed me to be …show more content…
Differences and “weakness” are things to be ashamed of. This prevented me, in part, from letting my parents know that I was struggling. I was all too aware of the stigma against mental illness in the Chinese culture. This stigma was another padlock on my only good exit, asking for help. Without this exit available, I began looking for other exits and I found one. But, I was found out before I attempted to use this exit. From there, my parents learned of my struggles and how I coped with them. And, as I knew it would, it broke their hearts. My biggest regret in that situation was not telling them myself. If only I had gone to them. If only I had talked to them about everything that was going on. If only I had done
However, I can’t simply pin the blame on those around me. The expectations of others …show more content…
Asian Americans only follow the rules. They never think for themselves. Those nerds over there, those Asians, those are the ones you can walk all over. Another thing that contributes to my refusal to simply be bossed around is my gender. Being female has also played an enormous part of shaping me into the determined person I am. But that’s a whole other essay. It was the striving to be more than just a follower, that made me who I am today. I have to say, I’m thankful, in a way, for those challenges because overcoming them has really pushed me to be …show more content…
Differences and “weakness” are things to be ashamed of. This prevented me, in part, from letting my parents know that I was struggling. I was all too aware of the stigma against mental illness in the Chinese culture. This stigma was another padlock on my only good exit, asking for help. Without this exit available, I began looking for other exits and I found one. But, I was found out before I attempted to use this exit. From there, my parents learned of my struggles and how I coped with them. And, as I knew it would, it broke their hearts. My biggest regret in that situation was not telling them myself. If only I had gone to them. If only I had talked to them about everything that was going on. If only I had done