why i start things and never finish them.

today i put the final touches on my visa application. hopefully, i've got everything down. one question i found interesting asked me to provide my complexion. i've never been asked that before. i didn't know what to write, so i wikipedia'd it. i decided to write down: fair to medium. i wrote fair because i was comparing myself to nigerians. i will be particularly fair compared to the lot, i wagered. although that part of the visa application struck me as a bit odd, i decided that it was even more bizarre that i made no mention of the fact i am vietnamese. when asked my nationality, i had to write american. no mention of ethnic background or groups i identify most with. just nationality. i guess i thought about it a lot since i work (or soon to be worked) with surveys/questionnaires and the like; which forced me to be particularly conscious of every word used in a survey. i suppose nigerians don't care that my parents are vietnamese refugees. i suppose they care even less that i jump at the chance to represent asian americans in every questionnaire i fill out.

first time in this nigeria experience (of hopefully many to come) that i stepped out of the bubble that is the united states of america. lesson learned: the melting pot doesn't matter in the real world.