Thursday, August 10, 2006

The Asian Girl

The beauty of an Asian is in her gentleness and grace. She knows her place in her family, she knows not to over rule in the presence of males, she knows not to speak till deemed appropriate. She receives instructions with humility, carries them out with diligence and coins her craft to perfection. She is the pearl of the orient.

The infiltration of media and foreigners changed the entire landscape of the continent. Suddenly she is exposed to vulgar cultures of explicit sensuality and notoriety. With change and uncertainty comes confusion and doubt. She questions her upbringing, culture, education and belief system. She wavers in her principles. She lowers her values. She flings her arms wide in reckless abandonment. She lost her soul in the large deep ocean of the west.

She finds herself beaten by rough waters and crashed on by gigantic waves. She tries to befriend her enemy by cooperating (she hasn’t been taught how to handle adverse situations) and finds herself taking in more of that which she tries to shield herself from. It goes deep into her and makes her nauseous and she vomits large gulps of filth and junk.

She sees a passing fishing boat. They fish her out of the boisterous waters and bring her to temporary safety. She is tended to and given warm food, drinks and clothes. She sees kind eyes and feels compassionate arms around her.

They are eyes and arms of her people. They bring her home to where she belongs.

Things are different. She can feel it. It tingles in her bone. It rings in her ears. It causes an ache in her heart, a tear in her soul. She walks out into the streets once again in search of her lost innocence and sees foreign eyes every corner she turns. Where do I go from here, she silently begs an answer from her Creator.

2 comments:

Ling said...

Not sure if i'm reading this correctly. But I do think that "The Asian Girl" (if ever there's one, given the diverse cultures and way of life among Asian countries) while possessing unique attractive qualities, tends to be described covertly as weak, subjugated by patriarchal influences and always need ing divine rescue.

Angeline Tan said...

You're right, she's a broken vessel in need of a Savior.