Dutch/Indonesian | Indonesian
I identify as Indo. My parents are both from Indonesia they met in Kupang Timor. I discovered my Father was not fully Indonesian but already had a Dutch-Indo influence on both sides. His Mother and Father both were mixed in colonial times in the Dutch-Indies it meant they had certain position on the social ladder in society. My Father grew up in post-colonial Indonesia, but his Dutch language came from that background. Growing up I could not Identify with my Indo part because I was never told about my heritage. Where I grew up people assumed I was Indonesian, I concurred but I didn't know what it meant or how I should be Indonesian. My parents separated when I was 5 so they didn’t combine their cultures. I guess combining it was moving to the Netherlands in the first place in 1978.
My only challenge surrounding my mixed heritage was surrounding my studies. I studied photography, my last project was based around a subject that was close to my heart. This was something that caused me a lot of pain.
There is a festival called the TongTongFair where all Dutch-Indo descendants know about. It is a festival with 100k Indo's and Indonesian people go to each year just to feel the culture. I go there to meet with friends and family to feel experience the food, music, language & fashion.
I consider my experiences as a mixed-race person to overall be positive. If people ask where I am from it is an opportunity to explain what the difference is between an Indo and a Dutch-Indonesian.. Most people in the Netherlands have connections with Indo's in their life without even knowing.
If I had the opportunity to be reborn I would return as the same, I am 100% love the way I am and can be in the future.