One aspect to my identity which has affected my world view and has changed recently in some interesting way is my white ethnicity. Growing up in Hawaii, white people are a minority which certainly contributed a lot to the way I viewed this particular aspect to my identity. But more than that there exists a lot of negative emotions towards white people that stem from Hawaii's recent history of colonization by America and of course, by white people. Because of this I grew up constantly trying to minimize my ethnicity in anyway I could, doing anything possible to try and draw attention away from my very obviously white skin and consequent role as a foreigner and even a threat. It was a tough situation because I very clearly could understand why the people who had been taken advantage of by the American government had all these built up feelings and emotions towards anyone who might represent that, yet at the same time I just wanted to be judged for the person I was, not for what people of my ethnicity may have done. This led to me thinking and viewing my ethnic identity in a way that I do not have to anymore. Here at Cornell white people are the majority, and there do no exist the same stigmas that exist back home in Hawaii. However I still feel like I am more aware of my ethnicity than a lot of other people who share this aspect to their identity, and this is something that I imagine will stay with me for the rest of my life.
I think it will be interesting to see how my perspective on this aspect of my identity changes during my time in Zambia. I will, of course, go back to being in the minority, however I have no idea what this might mean for how other people will view me, and consequently how I may start to view myself.
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