by Zona Hsieh
What kind of stereotypes pop into your mind when you think of Texas? Cowboys drinking beer, farmers working under the scorching hot sun, and cotton, corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, and potatoes eight inches across? Or if you met a guy who comes from Austin, the state capitol, what kind of person would you expect to meet? Just before finals last term, my linguistics professor asked me and several of my classmates to do her a favor—to receive three American students from Texas for some academic research. Our job was to show them around campus and visit scenic spots in Taipei. Plus we also taught them some basic tips about living here, such as how to use the MRT system. Among the three students who came, the one I particularly got along with was a guy called Austin. Austin from Austin. I have to confess that before I got to know him I, too, had many Texan stereotypes: fried chicken, giant steaks, “howdy y’all,” and George W. Bush. However, after getting to know this Austin better, I understood that these stereotypes are very oversimplified. Unlike the other American students, Austin Lee was a Chinese American. His father is a chemical engineer and graduated from NTU. Born in Austin, he claims that his mother’s English was not so great, so she just named him after their hometown. Although their family moved to the United States before Austin was born, he still has some relatives in Taiwan. As a result, Austin did not have the kind of prejudices that foreigners usually have about Taiwan. For example, the other two Texan girls were warned to be careful. They were told not to eat the food sold in night markets unless they didn’t mind getting sick, and they were advised not to expose their arms and legs, since they were told that Taiwanese culture was so hidebound that girls did not wear short-sleeves or shorts even during the boiling hot summer. Besides, according to Austin, most white people in Texas could not even differentiate between Taiwan and Thailand, which means some foreigners might consider the famous transvestites in Thailand as one of Taiwan’s specialties. Most westerners can’t seem to distinguish Taiwan from other developing countries. All they know is that Taiwan seems to make 50% of the products sold in America. No wonder they mix up Taiwan with Thailand. But what about us, who associate Texas with all kinds of stereotypes as well? It was Jane Austen who put the words “pride” and “prejudice” together. For people are always content with a superficial understanding according to their own pride, and thus we are obsessed with the prejudice of their first impressions. If all the mistaken impressions could be supplanted by informed realizations, it would be much easier for people to surmount obstacles and achieve harmonious happiness. Back to this Austin from Texas, perhaps it was his unbiased and love-to-try-anything-new character that made him fond of almost everything Taiwanese. No culture shock for him. But one thing that struck him very strongly was that he realized it was very embarrassing that he couldn’t speak Chinese fluently, even though his family was from Taiwan. For example, it always annoyed him when he went to a restaurant with the other Americans and they all relied on him to order food, but he was unable to read the menu. He confessed that he regretted not having studied Chinese as a child when his parents told him to, for he always hated Chinese school. He thinks most Chinese Americans don’t realize who they are and what they are missing out on when they don’t try to learn Chinese. Besides, he also admits that sometimes it’s like he lacks any culture at all, since he doesn’t really feel American but can’t call himself Chinese either since he can barely speak the language. I didn’t get many chances to be alone with Austin after I met him, for I went abroad as well by mid-July. By the time I came back he had already gone back to Texas. I didn’t really have a chance to say goodbye to him, but somehow I know that our friendship will not just end like the passing summer days. Having a friend like him is a feeling that doesn’t just fade away but manages to stay with you for a very long time. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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