A Zestful Quest | Page 113

I’ve noticed something lately while checking my stats and I have been wondering what’s going on. Most of the time when people google for certain things it has to do with TV shows or anything else that’s been recently in the media. What’s interesting in my case is the amount of queries coming from two different continents which is 20% of all queries leading to this website. It has been like this for a few weeks already and these searches make me wonder…

Recent queries:

Eurasian faces [4 different searches]
Eurasian clothing
Eurasian clothes design
Eurasian surnames [at least 5 times]
Eurasians attractive
Eurasian races photos
Eurasians pictures
Why are mixed blood people attractive
Full Asian but look like Eurasian England
Common cooking method used in Eurasian meal
Are there alot of eurasians in australlia [I left the typos *hehe*]
Eurasian faces more attractive
Eurasian white baby pictures
Mixed blood baby caucasian asian
Eurasian ancestory, dutch, english

I read that in 2007 the Malaysian government had plans to reduce the number of Eurasian faces in advertisements which caused a stir among models and presenters. It’s interesting to see how some people seem to feel threatened by the ‘Eurasian look’, if there is one anyway. In parts of Asia, Eurasians carrying traits from both sides, are considered a beauty ideal especially in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.

I was adviced to register with model agencies age 16, back then one agency told me I was ‘too dark’. Their clients wanted fair-skinned/haired models so I was sent away, these days, they’re craving the ‘Eurasian look’. I remember I was upset about the discriminating remarks. When I told my dad he said to be always proud of who I am and ignore the narrow-mindedness and ignorance of others; what did they know about my culture[s] after all?

I am proud of who I am and I like my mocha tan, although it always tends to look yellow over wintertime. I’m proud of my exotic background and embrace it but I don’t want people to label me as exotic because I have a lot more to offer. I love to prepare the odd ‘rice table‘ because it’s part of me and not because it seems to be the ‘latest culinary rage -along with Sushi- among the [belanda] expats’ to show off at dinner parties.

I’m proud of my grandfather’s friendship with a headhunting Dayak and the sword that he was given in honour because he saved this Dayak’s life. I feel more Indonesian than Dutch, but I haven’t found a home country nor culture yet. I love a Kopi Toebroek and I wish it was warm enough in London to wear my sarong. I crave Soto Ayam and Rempejeh. I’ve never visited the Pasar Malam in the Hague but that doesn’t make me less Indo.

Despite of what some [Asians] seem to associate ‘Eurasian’ with, I’m not the daughter of a soldier and a pr0st1tvte; my dad was Indonesian and met my mother in the Lowlands, that makes me 50/50. At times I wish people wouldn’t feel the need to put one in a pigeonhole. Then I wouldn’t feel the need to identify myself, I would be ‘just’ me, balancing between two worlds and two cultures, embracing the best of both and be proud of both…

Then there would be less ‘Eurasian’ google searches since the name tag wouldn’t really matter.

Just a thought…

It’s been so warm for at least a week now. I haven’t slept very well because of this heat and certain behaviour of nice ground-floor neighbours *sarcastic*. So whenever I can, I open all the windows hoping there might be a bit of a cool breeze out there peeping in. The temperature in my office studio has been between 28° – 36° and makes it hard to concentrate on projects that need to be done. I’m often distracted and end up doing other things like getting rid of clutter, reorganising and throwing out stuff. I did this all morning while I should’ve been working on a website but at least the room is all neat again and I’ve thrown out lots of crap.

I’m heading for Scotland Friday morning to visit my best friend IvS [she’s Dutch] and enjoy a party they’ll be throwing for 120 guests in the evening in their barn. Saturday evening I’ll finally see the military tattoo at Edinburgh Castle and a huge fireworks display right after. IvS offered to go there when I visited her in Pitcairngreen, seven years ago but I think I had a bit of a cultural overdose back then since she already paid for a three days tour around parts of Scotland to see some castles, churches, the smallest distillery, the Wallace monument [summit of Abbey Craig] some wonderful [golf]sites and towns near the coast and a lot more.

I’m so looking forward to staying with her, they invited me so many times and I don’t understand why I didn’t go sooner. Last year after the break-up they wanted me to stay there for a while but I had too much on my mind back then to be able to relax. They moved from their cute cottage in 2002 to a wonderful huge old farmhouse, where they keep chicken, sheep, three dogs, a few hens and their neighbour’s cows on their land to mow the grass. So I’m off soon to relax and enjoy nature, a wee dram, long walks with the dogs, jokes about anything expat related and my friends’ company in general.

Bliss… One day I will move here and keep some goats, I’m such a dreamer but I know this one will be real… Below is where I’ll be staying [I’m showing you while walking around the house *hehe*]: