Asian American & Pacific Islander Month 2023
Hello! As some of you know, my name is Elle DuMont and I am going to be a fourth year this coming fall at The University of Cincinnati. I am a marketing major with two minors in fashion studies and international business. This month we celebrate Asian Americans and their contribution to our culture here in the US.
I am adopted and was born in Hunan province in the city of Yueyang China. I was left on a wall, not The Great Wall, outside of a school and was found by teachers who took me to a nearby orphanage/ I was left in a basket with a note, stating my name and birthday which I still have to this day. After living in an orphanage for nine months, I was adopted by my lovely parents Tina and Tim DuMont—the best people in the world.
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As a young girl, my parents tried very hard to expose my sister and me to traditional Chinese culture. My younger sister was also adopted a year after I was brought home. We participated in fan dancing classes, went to Chinese New Year celebrations at local high schools, and even had the opportunity to host various Chinese teachers employed at my grade school. In the fourth grade, my parents took my sister and me on a month-long trip to China where we toured various cities, rode on bullet trains, bargained with vendors, and peed in holes in the ground... which was not pleasant and frankly much harder than it appears. Upon our stay in China, I had to adjust to much more than just the time difference. One of the biggest problems I had, besides using the bathroom, was walking around in the streets. I found myself getting shoved and touched a lot which initially bothered me. Another issue arose when we stayed in a village with a host family who didn’t speak any English. Thankfully, they had a sheet with translations that we could point to.
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During my time in China, I fell walking on The Great Wall, visited the Terracotta Warriors, held a Giant Baby Panda that started choking on an apple, road trains that smelled like pee, picked rice at a rice farm, visited a jade palace, and ate peaking duck which I had mistaken for barbeque ribs. We also visited the orphanages my sister and I had both stayed at. My specific orphanage now was a home to children with facial deformities like cleft palates and we spent the day playing with the kids and making fresh dumplings. My favorite memories of the China trip were 1) locals constantly wanting “selfies” with my dad because they thought he was a celebrity 2) eating every food I was offered even the shrimp eyeballs... Overall, the experience was magical. I would love to have the opportunity to return to China in the future because I believe that being older, will allow me to be more respectful and appreciative of the unique but beautiful Chinese culture.
I think that being unique is the thing that brings me the most joy. However, when I was in grade school, I wanted nothing more than to be white and have blonde hair. Other kids were very inconsiderate of my differences. I remember we read a book where a Chinese girl had her feet bound and one of my classmates had the audacity to ask me if my feet were also bound. I also heard, “Chinese, Japanese, look at these dirty knees,” phrases where kids would pull their eyes back and make fun of the way I looked. As a young girl, this humiliated me as I wanted the attention to be anywhere but, on my race, and unique ethnicity. Nowadays, I still experience racism. I have been verbally attacked and called slurs at a bar, and am constantly called “white-washed” and other crass names. Every time I get my nails done, I am put in an uncomfortable situation with either uneducated Asians or rude white people who think it is okay to say, “You look like you are related to my workers here.” My parents too have faced uncertain situations where they too have had to stand up for me and remind people that although we do not look alike, THEY ARE MY “REAL” parents.
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How awful is it that a culture so beautiful is hidden because of the discomfort it may bring someone... For years, I wanted to change and “fit in” but now that I am older, I recognize the true beauty in being different and would take the chance to return to my homeland if given the opportunity. Overall, we as humans have the responsibility to educate ourselves, so much so, that we eliminate ethnic barriers and discrimination. It is our differences that make us so beautiful.
