I  was in high school when I accidentally learned my last name was changed. 
One day I came across my birth certificate, the first time I had ever seen it. To my surprise, I saw that the surname Huynh crossed out with a black pen, and on top, someone wrote the name Wong.  
I didn't dare ask my dad why this was the case.  After a few years, I asked my aunt about that last name, since she had it too.  She said Huynh is the Vietnamese spelling of the Chinese surname Wong.  She said my dad never wanted to be associated with Vietnam, since it's known to be the lower, developing country.  He wanted all of us to be seen as Chinese, and as Ally Wong would put it, "the fancy Asian" of the Asians.  This explained why everyone in my family speaks Vietnamese except for me and my brother.  They never taught it to us, fearing how the world may see us, judge us.  Instead we speak Cantonese.
This angered me.  I had a whole identity erased from me without my consent.  I understand why my dad would do this.  Vietnam was a scary place for him.  They all ran from the war.  They escaped in small boats, risking their lives to be free from violence.  They sat in the ocean for days, without food, without water, not knowing if they would survive.  They've seen and smelled death.  Till this day, they fear boat rides.  Over the years, I tried to reclaim the Vietnamese side by learning to cook all the foods I enjoyed growing up.  I tell people I am Vietnamese-Chinese American, making sure the "Vietnamese" part comes first.  I tried to learn the language, albeit I only really perfected the curses.  

– Karstina Wong

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant