A Young Asian American Take on Growing Up in SGV

I’m an Asian American, and like many others, I haven’t exclusively attached myself to either traditional Asian or mainstream American culture. Rather, I belong to a co-culture that integrates both, and more.

By Jessica Woo

Growing up, I went through a Twilight phase, I watched typical movies like 21 Jump Street, and I listened to hip hop music. In fact, I still do. I was highly influenced by mainstream trends, and many of my friends and classmates likewise caught on.

At the same time, however, I held on to some of my family’s traditional values. I walked around barefoot in my house and developed a steadfast love for boba milk tea. However, unlike my parents and grandparents, I don’t celebrate the Lunar Festival. Yet, I am not only influenced by Asian and American culture, but also Latino, Italian, and the many others I come across daily through the media and in my surroundings.

My ideas about cultural mixing increased when I entered UCLA, especially when I met many Northern California students. NorCal has a high Asian American population, but I was surprised that they were not quite the same as their SoCal counterparts.

We had common interests—such as Justin Timberlake and dim sum. However, I didn’t share their overwhelming pride for the Giants, and “hella” and “y’all” are not in my vocabulary. NorCal’s environment differs from SoCal’s — in ethnic populations, local sports teams, and so on. These differences significantly impact their colloquialism, interests, and ideals, which branches off from common Asian American culture to develop an idiosyncratic subculture.

Furthermore, I learned in my Asian American Studies class that even within our culture, there is great diversity. Throughout American history, and California’s in particular, various waves of Asian immigrants arrived to America, some from poorer backgrounds and others wealthier. They belong to different groups from different places and therefore, have different values. Certain values fade away with the next generation, while others are acquired from new surroundings.

This notion is clearly not limited to Asian Americans. Everywhere, we see that there is mainstream culture, and then it diversifies into smaller co-cultures. On the micro level, conduits such as the Internet allow individuals to form co-cultures by connecting with people who share similar interests, whether they be a sport, a television show, or a music genre.

It’s astounding how the limits of human diversity reach infinitely. But no matter the ethnicity, values, or race, at the end of the day, we’re all just human.