Bowen Tan,
Canada
When I was growing up, there was one question that I specifically feared: “what’s your name?” At first, it seems like just a normal question asked all over the world, and well, it is. What I was scared of was the question that follows. To answer the question, I would then give the standard response of “I’m Bowen, nice to meet you”, But my heart would drop when they followed up with “Oh, ok, but what’s your actual name?”. While I was growing up, I used to hate pronouncing my Chinese name out loud, as I thought it was weird and other people would make fun of me, so I would either try to dodge the question or respond very quietly. I tried to fit in as much as possible with the other caucasian kids, which meant having an “English sounding name”. However, as I grew up, I realized that my name and my race are all a part of the pieces that make me, the pieces that make me unique, and they are things I should be proud of. Learning to embrace my name, race, and culture was an important part of my life experience. My journey to embrace my culture is a long one, and I want to see what awaits me at the end of the tunnel!
