Faith Week 1: Identity Crisis!

 Faith Tong Week 3: How does race affect our identity?  Ever since the coronavirus breakout, I have seen a lot of articles and news reporting of Asian hate and violence, especially targeting the elderly. At first, I tried to ignore it because it deeply upset me and brought back some unpleasant memories with racism. But as I continued to see the same Asian hate and violence news everyday, I couldn’t help but read more about it and try to find out the cause behind it all.  Asian Hate and Violence This article explains Asian hate and violence really well, and it just caused me to rethink race, identity, and environment. Since I grew up in Fremont, I would technically be considered an “American” but I never really felt like I fit in ever since I was little. My classmates would make fun of how my lunch smelled, and I remember feeling really ashamed for just eating my own culture’s food. I would try to “americanize” myself just to fit in with the rest of the kids. Many of my cl...

 Faith Week 2: Does School Affect Our Identity?  Maybe it’s a surprise or not, but I have never really complained about school until middle and high school. School used to be “fun” for me. I enjoyed the mini breaks and the feeling of wind blown in my face as I bolted across the playgrounds, my voice echoing laughter that joined the union of laughter of everyone around me. There were no toxic friendships, everything was pure. There was no feeling of pressure or comparison of grades, every score was accepted among peers. The teachers were caring and engaging, allowing us to learn and flourish. It was perfect. But perfect things don’t last forever, do they?  All of a sudden, I was pushed into a new, social environment, where everything I did mattered. The friends I made determined my social stance in school. The scores I got affected the way I was viewed by my peers. The teachers had too many periods to care enough for anyone. That’s when I realized, school wasn’t fun a...