I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, but my mom is Vietnamese- German and my dad is Chinese- Vietnamese. Thus, I had to learn and adapt myself into all of these different cultures since I was little. Since the age of four, I had to move to several countries around the world with my family because of my dad's job. I became very international and always aware of other cultures. It was the best experience that I could have ever asked for, but at the same time I lost my own sense of who I was, who I am, and who I would be. Often times, I felt like other people looked at me as an outsider because I was expected to be either Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. I always wondered why people labeled me by the language that I spoke, or the countries that I lived in. Why did that even matter? When I came to the USA, it was the first time in my life that I felt comfortable about who I was because Americans saw me as a person and they would not question my identity. I no longer feel like an outsider because many people here also come from multiple cultures and backgrounds. I got myself a ring at one of the local festivals in my neighborhood in Chicago just before I moved to NYC. This ring is made of bronze and is engraved with a symbol of the Chicago flag. This ring is to remind me that after moving to many major cities around the word for so many years, I finally found home.

– CG

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