Liz Warren | Storyteller

A lot of people think I look Asian.  That makes sense, because I am.  It used to be that being an Asian in America made you exotic.  I’m not completely Asian, though, only half.  The other half is German and Irish.  Ironically, it seems that that’s the part that makes me exotic.  It’s also interesting that people ask if I speak Korean, yet no one has ever asked if I speak German or Irish.  To me, that’s the real irony, since I’m much closer to my Irish and German side than I am to my Korean side.  My mom made a decision a long time ago to raise my two older brothers and me speaking only English.  People say that’s too bad that we didn’t learn Korean.  My mom knew different.  Growing up in an Indiana town in the 70’s, speaking English was the right choice.  So, she assimilated, as we all did.  I knew it was the right choice then and I know it was the right choice, even today.

So, in actuality, I’m sort of an outsider when it comes to my heritage.  When I think about what it means to honor the tradition of my ancestors and respecting their culture when telling stories, in effect, I’m just like anyone else.  Sure, I have a blood tie to these people, but what does that really mean?  Blood doesn’t make the tie.  It’s the relationship that makes the bond.  If my parents had moved to Colombia when I was born, I’d be able to relate to Colombia, the only country I ever knew, not Germany, not Ireland, and not Korea.  I might relate to the United States, but only if they kept that relationship alive. My blood, their blood, doesn’t make me a better American or a more knowledgeable of Ireland.  My DNA doesn’t mean that I have a propensity for German food or their style of thinking.

Honoring the tradition of my parents and that of my parents’ parents and their parents means learning about their lives.  It means learning about what they experienced and how they lived to the very best of my ability.  It means hard work, research, interviews, and reading.  I would hope that if I chose to speak of my heritage, that my ancestors would be proud of me and feel respected by my words.