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Mei Magazine Hooks Up With Chinese-American Girls!
Interview by Margot Starbuck Hausmann
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to grow up in a Chinese-American family? Do you think your life would be similar or different? It would probably be a little of both! Mei had a chat with four teenage girls who live with their Chinese parents in the United States. Let’s listen in!
JULIA
American name: Julia
Chinese name: Qing
Age: 13
Julia says, “I’ve been in the United States for five years.”
JENNY
American name: Jenny
Chinese name: Sun Wei
Age: 14
Jenny says, “I was born in the United States.”
HELEN
American name: Helen
Chinese name: Yue
Age: 14
Helen says, “I’ve lived in the United States for three years, since I was 11.”
ANN
American name: Ann
Chinese name: Yu-Ann
Age: 14
Ann says, “My parents came to the United States for grad school and I was born here.”
Mei: Do you speak Chinese, and where do you use it?
Helen: I speak Chinese at home and English at school.
Ann: I use Chinese at home and with some Chinese-speaking friends and English with non-Chinese-speaking people.
Jenny: I use Chinese at home sometimes and English everywhere!
Mei: Are most of your friends Chinese, non-Chinese, or both?
Helen: Both
Julia: Both.
Jenny: Non-Chinese.
Ann: I have both Chinese and non-Chinese friends.
Mei: What kinds of stuff do you like to do with your friends?
Ann: Shopping, eating, talking.
Helen: Shopping.
Jenny: Shopping, talk, hang out, have fun.
Julia: Talk, shopping, craziness.
Mei: I know you’ve all been to China. What was most special about your trip?
Helen: Going to the Great Wall.
Ann: It’s cold in the winter and there is food everywhere.
Jenny: Seeing monuments and shopping.
Julia: I got to bond with my cousins.
Mei: What’s the best thing about being Chinese?
Julia: Being cool.
Helen: Being able to speak and understand Chinese.
Jenny: Being known as smart.
Mei: Is there a stereotype that some Americans have about Chinese girls?
Ann: Being smart, getting straight A’s.
Julia: They’re like nerds and super smart. Not me, though!
Jenny: Smart, nerdy.
Mei: Have you experienced racial prejudice? How did you respond?
Jenny: Not really.
Helen: Some people think that I always know the right answer, but that’s not true.
Julia: Yes. I said to them, “Racism!”
Mei: If you have a daughter who’s also Chinese-American (meaning living in America), what advice would you want to give her?
Ann: Learn to speak and write Chinese.
Julia: Be yourself no matter what.
Helen: I would tell her to be proud of who she is. She should be glad that she is multicultural. Not many people would be able to have the same unique experiences as she would.
Mei: Anything else you want to share about your experience as a Chinese-American girl?
Julia: It seems like people always treat you differently if you’re Chinese.
Helen: Even though we are Asian, but we are different, some people
think that we are all the same, act the same, have same kind of parents, but we do not.
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