nwasianweekly.com
Sept. 2, 2006

The author, Stephanie Lock

I lived in a bio-dome!
::Our annual youth issue

By Stephenie Lock
For the Northwest Asian Weekly

Imagine growing up in suburbia, specifically a small section of land titled Fairwood, my environment for the past 17 years. In comparison to the big city of Seattle, living in the suburbs was similar to living inside a surreal bio- dome. During my childhood, it never hit me how sheltered the atmosphere of living in Fairwood actually was when compared to the vast differences of the city. It was an identity crisis between the city and the country that led to my discovery of who I am today and who I want to become in the future.

I was one of the very few Asians in my class all the way up to junior high where I found a more diverse population. I remember in elementary school not knowing what or who to identify with. It always seemed so strange to my other friends that I ate rice every day, went into Seattle with my family on the weekends and celebrated New Year on a different day. To me, these were all traditions that were comfortable and expected. Having rice every day was both natural and the ultimate comfort food. The aroma just breathed “home.” Home was the one place where I didn’t feel the need to question my identity of ethnicity, culture or appearance.

Almost every weekend, I remember going with my family either to the International District or some other place in Seattle. The outings into the city soon became ritual. By the time I was in fourth grade, I was used to the feeling of walking around the city, seeing the wide range of people and exploring all over the place. It used to amaze me how many of my friends had never been to the International District or downtown Seattle for that matter. I also always used to assume that everyone celebrated Chinese New Year and that it was a major holiday. Getting together with the family to celebrate New Year was a reminder of the importance of culture and belonging. It signified to me that during that one day of the year, I would feel a sense of knowing I was in the right place and a sense of being proud of whom I am.

As junior high and high school came around, my comfy little bio-dome soon began to deflate slowly. I was exposed to a more diverse group of people, including many more mixed races and personalities. Though I am half Japanese and half Chinese, it never occurred to me until then that some might see me as a strange mix. It may have been the exposure to the various ethnicities within a race that led me to evaluate myself even more. I began to wonder what everything meant and then desperately wanted to search for an answer to who I am. I wanted to know how my culture and ethnicity set me apart from everyone else. Since I can’t change those things, I decided to set myself apart by how I dealt with it.

Since then it has been one of my top priorities to get involved with as many clubs, activities, sports and camps as possible. I joined almost every club at school. I danced on the dance team, and even tried judo. I found out that putting myself in situations that can be uncomfortable in the beginning actually really helped me grow as a person

I decided to gain leadership skills by running for ASB (Associated Student Body), first giving a speech in front of the whole school.
Next year will be fifth and last year on ASB, since I will be a senior. It has been the best of my learning experiences.

Throughout the years, I have grown in so many ways, changing from a shy, quiet person to a more outgoing and decisive one. I have changed from being a follower to being a leader. And, lastly I have become more aware of my beliefs, morals and understanding of the importance of taking pride in one’s heritage.

As I prepare to leave for college and for the next phase of my life, I want to know something about my ancestors. I also want some advice on how to be successful in life. It seems that every step of the way, I have gained more strength and advice to persevere till the end. I also want to gain more insight to my culture, my family and my goals as an Asian American woman.

I hope to go into politics, to show that even a small suburban girl can make a difference; I hope to take a stand on issues I truly have a passion for. I wish someday to represent the Asian community in a political position and be proud of who I am. I also want to learn how to live a balanced life, because I know that to be successful, one must know how to prioritize.

I know I will learn a lot in the years to come, but for now I am grateful for all the opportunities that have been presented to me. It just goes to show that whether you live in the big city or in the sheltered “bio-dome” of the suburbs, it is possible to do anything you put your mind to.

Stephenie Locke can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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