Interview with Rosa Liu

Sarah: Where were you born?

Rosa: I was born in Augsburg, Germany.

Sarah: Would you say that you were raised like a German or more like a Chinese?

Rosa: I think I was raised more like a Chinese because of my parents who are both Chinese and it was important for them that I got to know Chinese culture although I live in Germany. But there were, of course, also many German influences, e.g. the German environment, my German friends, the German kindergarten and finally school. So I was somehow raised in a mixed way: Chinese at home and with our Chinese friends, German in the world “outside.”

Sarah: Do you “feel” like a German?

Rosa: No, I definitely don’t feel like a German. Well yes, I got used to Germany, the culture and so on, it’s a place where everything is very familiar to me. But actually, it’s not my home at all because I know I’m different and in the eyes of German people I will always be a stranger. It’s somehow a contradiction because Germany is almost like a home to me but I still feel like a foreigner and not German.

Sarah: Do you feel “whole” in Germany?

Rosa: I don’t feel “whole” in Germany, not at all. I’m divided into two parts: my German identity and my Chinese one. But I’m never whole, I’m neither German nor Chinese.

Sarah: When did you first realize that you were completely different from other Germans?

Rosa: It was when I started school. On my first school day, some older pupils passed by and they teased me because I’m Chinese. And these kids made fun of me all the years I went to school. I was only 6 years old and therefore I was really confused about it. Afterwards when I realized the situation, I got mad at those people and began to see myself as a foreigner.

Sarah: Have others ever given you trouble because of your Chinese heritage?

Rosa: Yes, there were several arguments with people who were quite racist. But luckily I have never come in contact with Nazis until today and I have never got into a violent conflict. But there was one incident which impressed me very much: about one year ago when I was on my way to the city, an old woman walked towards me and when she noticed me she quickly went to the other side of the road to avoid crossing my way. I was very terrified about this.