German | Taiwanese

I think international culture and norms which have become normal during the last couple of decades of globalization have formed an important basis for mutual understanding. The simplest example is the use of English, which my parents used when they met each other, or shared interests in global popular culture. Otherwise mutual respect for different customs and habits is important. Sometimes my parents did things in a more German and sometimes more Chinese way, and everyone had to go along with it, even if the other one was not used to it. But I think most importantly open-mindedness and sharing the same ideas is what brought them together.

Especially in London, but also in Germany and Taiwan, interracial relationships are very common and accepted which is definitely a good thing. Older generations were sometimes wondering about the relationship of my parents. When I was younger, and myself having girlfriends, their parents often thought of me as special. I am happy that people are actually becoming less aware of this, and that they just treat you like anyone else, where your ethnic background becomes mostly irrelevant. We should all be judged by who we are as a person and not by the colour of our skin.

I did not care much about my mixed-race background as a child and never understood what all the fuss and the questions directed to me were about. Once I got older, my background was quite rare and really gave a broader horizon and perspective on things, which other people are aware of.

I think multiculturalism is a more common concept in open western societies and I find that my thinking and partnerships are quite affected by that way of thinking. I have had partners from many different cultural backgrounds and I always tended to be together with people who shared the same western values and ideas. Such as a strong emphasis on equality of men and women, democracy, free speech and multiculturalism. If people share the same values, the ethnic background becomes irrelevant. Values and ideas should be, and are, a larger unifier than your ethnicity.

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