How Chinese Am I? by Roger Lam captures a common conflict present in many different ethnicities. Roger tells about a time when he stumbles upon a question he finds challenging to answer on the Chinese American Scholarship Application he was filling out. It asked, “Are you a first generation or second generation American?”  Perplexed by this question, he thought technically, he would be considered a first generation because he had been born in China. However, his “second generation” siblings, which had been born in America, spoke, read, and wrote better Chinese than him. He questions whether he, a FOB (Fresh Off the Boat), would still be described a first generation American if he did not speak his native language better than his younger, ABC(American Born Chinese) brothers, who would surely be second generation.
I find that this is a very relatable topic as I have seen similar scenarios in my life. Personally, I belong to a Chinese family, yet at a small age, I was constantly exposed to English and I didn’t really need to speak Chinese that often. Instead, I grew up with the English language and my knowledge of the Chinese language is slight. Thus, I can really relate to when the author says, “I assimilated into the U.S. quite well and you wouldn’t know that I’m Chinese if you didn’t see my face or skin.” Similar to what the author is going through, my younger cousin was born in America and speaks way  better Chinese than I do. Not to mention, I have other Chinese friends who are in the same position so I really do wonder: Are we all first or second generation Americans?