My Heritage

            For an English assignment, I must divulge into the story of my own heritage. The following is said story:

 Because of the birthplaces of my ancestors and how certain events in history have affected how they are classified, there are a few variations on how you could interpret my heritage. First I will tell you how I, personally, view my heritage. I am a quarter Swiss, a quarter Polish, and half Taiwanese. However, if I am to be more specific and take into account certain factors of that heritage, that description changes.

            For example, Switzerland is a country divided by ethnic regions. To the northeast is the German region of Switzerland, to the east is the French region, to the south the Italian region, and a small part of the center-east of Switzerland whose peoples are known as the Romansh. The majority of Swiss people are either Swiss-German or Swiss-French. My Swiss ancestry can be traced back to the city of St. Gallen, in the Swiss-German part of Switzerland near the Austrian border. Thus I can be considered Swiss-German. My ancestors from Poland actually come from Warsaw and there is little to derive or interpret from that. My Taiwanese heritage, however, has room for interpretation. My mother was born and raised in the city of Taipei in Taiwan. Taiwan is a country whose populace is largely occupied by Chinese Nationalists that fled the Communist Revolution in China. My grandparents were one of these themselves. When the Communist Revolution was happening, my grandparents were large landowners and were considered “enemies of the state” and fled to Taiwan. Until that time, however, my ancestors lived in China. So some people, including many Taiwanese and Chinese, would consider me Chinese and not Taiwanese.  

            That is the story of my heritage. To me, it s a source of pride and identification.