This subject has been amusing my simple little mind with regards to my genetic traits. Knowing at a level of 100% certainty that my predecessors for at least the last 3 generations are pure Han Chinese.
However, ever since I came to Singapore in 2000, I have been questioned by different people now and then. Suggestions have been thrown that I am Eurasian, Thai, Vietnamese or even Burmese. Surprisingly, when I was in Germany, I was mistaken as a Japanese (this is not surprising given that majority of the Western European population seems to be highly ignorant of the Eastern Hemisphere and Asia probably consists of only a handful of countries, namely Japan, China, India, Pakistan and Thailand), a mainland Chinese (well if they are ignorant enough not to know that Southeast Asia is mostly tropical, many of them wouldnt know that Overseas Chinese exist, and the fact that you are from Malaysia and is not a Malay but a Chinese, this throws them into a deep well of confusion. Probably thanks to our thousands of years of culture based on the Confucius philosophy), and guess the third most frequently guessed traits?
The first word they spoke to me when they saw me was "Sawasdee?". Interestingly, this came from a Portuguese master student who lived in Bangkok for 2 years. She said that she thought I was Thai the moment she saw me. Another such comment came from another German man who seems to frequently visit Thailand and said I "look like the Thai boys". .... Hahaha OMG dunno what he was doing in Thailand lah haha.
It was really eye opening and jaw dropping to hear those comments. Never in my life have I imagined myself possessing such genetic traits, for if I really do, that would be how interesting. |
