Where am I from?

I am from Ottawa Hills, Ohio. It’s known as “the Village,” because even though it’s situated in the larger city of Toledo, it really is it’s own little world. Predominantly made up of white, upper-middle class families, there is an unspoken pressure to conform to the community around you. And not just in an academic sense, which is what we are best known for, but also in every other aspect. The way you look, dress, speak, who you associate with, the list goes on. Growing up, I was a very shy, quiet child. I didn’t make my first friend until second grade, when a sympathetic teacher introduced me to a girl who would go on to become my best friend. Instead, my world was comprised of books; I was a voracious reader who was chastised by parents and teachers alike for reading when I should have been paying attention in class or doing schoolwork. Although books offered me a brief respite from real life, there really was no way of avoiding the social pressures of my environment. I always felt stuck between two worlds, never quite sure where I belonged: my parents’ Chinese culture that I never quite grasped or that of my homogeneous, picture-perfect community? Coming from a place lacking the acceptance I desired, my newfound college community seems like a dream come true. In such an enormous pool of people of varying cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, the weight of conformity I felt growing up has definitely been eased. That’s not to say that I don’t miss and appreciate aspects of my childhood home – there is something to be said for a small, tight-knit community. However, I have grown to love the vastness, and by extension both diversity and anonymity, that Ohio State offers.