1st Generation American Options

[onenonly101]

I know there are alot of people who have obtained citizenship in the u.s. here but what about everyone who is first generation American. I am first generation Nigerian-American. Sometimes it is difficult becaus eyou expected to uphold everything in your culture and at the same time embrace the American culture, but not come "americanized". My sister calls it assimilation. I love being Nigerian and hwen anyone ask me where I am from I say Nigeria then they say i speak english very well and I tell them i was born here. To me it is very important to remeber who i am but to also connect with also being American. Then osmetimes people think that you are becoming americanized. In Ibo they say beka=american, or ocha=white if you look American or act like it and you would never want to be called that. It is hard sometimes to find the right balance. I also HATE when people try to deny who they are I.E. saying I am just American and nothing else. It is fustrating sometimes

[*Kathleen*]

Hehe I know exactly what you mean. My friend, Krissy, she's Bulgarian, and was born there. She moved here when she was about six, so has been schooled here just as Americans would. She went back a year ago, and her friends told her she had an American accent; they said it in a not-so-nice way.

[angel-roh]

yea i see wat u mean cus my friend is like that too. my friend is chinese and she got her US citzenship.

[JlIaTMK]

Amen.

It's the same way for me. I tend to try to get the best of both worlds, yet at the same time not become "Americanized". It has worked so far, and it will continue working.

[yukichan]

I get what u mean..im japanese but my parents moved from japan to america so im the first generation..my parents say im to americanized and my friends say im to japanesezed(?) kinda frustrating at times...

[Spirited Away]

Actually, I'm one of those who would annoy you... if a random person come up to me and ask for my nationality, I'll simply say "American". If he/she asks me about my ethnicity, then I'll reply Asian... mixed.

Here's why it doesn't make sense to be to say "Vietnamese" when people ask for my nationality.

One, I was born and lived in Vietnam for 9 years but have spent the last 11 years in America. America is more home to me than Vietnam ever will be. I have spent my betters days in America. And the good ole US of A has given my family a much better treatment than Vietnam has after the War. We've suffered enough under the shitty government.

Two, it would be incorrect to say that I'm Vietnamese (unless the question meant to ask for ethicity), when I do not have Vietnamese citizenship, but rather, an American one. It would be lying to say otherwise.

I wouldn't even consider saying I'm Vietnamese-American when asked for my nationality. Hyphenating nationalities irritates me. Either you're American, or you're not...




Edit:

Also, Viet kids will tell me that I'm "white-washed", which is RIDICULOUS considering I know more about Viet culture/history/lifestyle than most of them. I'm more traditional than they can imagine... But they'll throw that kind of nonesense at me, thinking that such stupidity will actually insult me.

[*mona lisa*]

Your nationality is American, but your culture is Nigerian. It is hard to be Americanized and have people discriminate against you because you're American even though you weren't born there, but you have American and your own culture's views and traditions.

[jue]

im not born here; but i was here since i was a baby
so i guess the first person to be in america in my family would be my brother

[JlIaTMK]

Actually, I'm one of those who would annoy you... if a random person come up to me and ask for my nationality, I'll simply say "American". If he/she asks me about my ethnicity, then I'll reply Asian... mixed.

Here's why it doesn't make sense to be to say "Vietnamese" when people ask for my nationality.

One, I was born and lived in Vietnam for 9 years but have spent the last 11 years in America. America is more home to me than Vietnam ever will be. I have spent my betters days in America. And the good ole US of A has given my family a much better treatment than Vietnam has after the War. We've suffered enough under the shitty government.

Two, it would be incorrect to say that I'm Vietnamese (unless the question meant to ask for ethicity), when I do not have Vietnamese citizenship, but rather, an American one. It would be lying to say otherwise.

I wouldn't even consider saying I'm Vietnamese-American when asked for my nationality. Hyphenating nationalities irritates me. Either you're American, or you're not...
Edit:

Also, Viet kids will tell me that I'm "white-washed", which is RIDICULOUS considering I know more about Viet culture/history/lifestyle than most of them. I'm more traditional than they can imagine... But they'll throw that kind of nonesense at me, thinking that such stupidity will actually insult me.

Oh?

I honestly thought you were white, not asian. Learned something new.

[gigiopolis]

I wouldn't even consider saying I'm Vietnamese-American when asked for my nationality. Hyphenating nationalities irritates me. Either you're American, or you're not...

Actually, that's what I call myself: Canadian-Chinese. Because that's what I am, I have dual citizenship in Hong Kong and Canada. Which...this reason couldn't apply for Americans, but yeah.

[Spirited Away]

Oh?

I honestly thought you were white, not asian. Learned something new.

Hohumm... yeash, I'm Asian, with some French ancestry. I think of myself more French than Asian and more American than French.

Actually, that's what I call myself: Canadian-Chinese. Because that's what I am, I have dual citizenship in Hong Kong and Canada. Which...this reason couldn't apply for Americans, but yeah.

In your case, it definitely makes sense.

[Azn_Angel13]

i understand how u feel. i m vietnamese american. and well mai parents want me to embrace the vietnamese culture. there's a lot of pressure from ur parents. i guess their afraid that the vietnamese culture would die if i don't learn all the tradtitions. itz sad. sometimes i don't know who i am american or vietnamese. i can speak english but mai accent is kinda stupid even though i was born here. and mai vietnamese accent sounds so american. so i don't know where i belong sometimes.