My history began as a mystery. The hospital where I was born no longer exists. I have never spoken to the man who gave me his chromosomes and whom I so closely resemble, according to relatives on my mother's side.
A linguistic timeline of milestones
Sometime in 1981 or 1982: Mother marries an Indonesian-Chinese pharmacologist who is able to speak 7 languages ("Biological Father"). Biological Father, 12 or so years older than Mother, had 1 prior marriage and children (exact number unknown).
October 19, 1983: A baby girl is born in Bangkok, Thailand, albeit 2 weeks prematurely. Hello world!
Sometime during the next 12 months, Mother and Biological Father separate permanently for reasons unknown to everyone except them. At the same time, one of Mother's then-closest friends ("Chinese Man") offers her the opportunity of a sham marriage to appease his Chinese family who were despairing at the lack of heirs. She accepts, and to the world, they appear suddenly as man and wife.
1987: Mother, working as the head of Front Desk and Receptions at one of Bangkok's glitzy hotels, meets a charming man from Seattle, who is in urgent need of translation services for an upcoming business meeting. Somehow, a romance quickly develops and he proposes 4 months after they had first met. He naturally and willingly assums financial and emotional responsibility for my upbringing ("American Dad"). Mother and I move from Bangkok, Thailand to Seattle, USA, to live with American Dad.
1988 - 1997: I attend both the public and private schools in the suburbs of Seattle. The marriage between Mother and American Dad becomes increasingly unstable and unsustainable as they both realise how unhappy they are with each other. Mother, working as an air hostess for a large airline company, uses her working trips as an excuse to stay away from American Dad. American Dad uses the free miles offered as a perk due to being married to Mother, as a method to stay away from Mother. During summer holidays, I am sent to Thailand to live with Chinese Man and his family, whom Mother continually represents to me as being my biological family.
1997-1998: The turning point. During my final year living in the Americas, I am sent to an all-girls' boarding school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for "truancy" and "uncontrollable behaviour". I actually believe it was due to the fact they wish to hide from me news of their imminent divorce. My metamorphosis from a socially awkward and introverted pre-teen into an extroverted outspoken and controversial teenager begins when I step onto the grounds of St. Margaret's Girls' School.
1998 - 2002: High School. Mother sends me off to a mixed-sex boarding school in Phuket, Thailand without prior consultation with American Dad (while using American Dad's bank accounts). During that time, Mother and American Dad finalise their divorce and attempt to pretend as if it hadn't happened. American Dad marries his long-time Filipino mistress ("La Filipina") and they start to build a family of their own. Mother moves back to Thailand. Despite the ensuing drama, I excel academically due to my love of reading and innate desire to gain approval from authority figures while stirring up trouble as a rebellious teenager.
2002 - 2006: I undertake my my undergraduate education at a top ten university in the Bristol, United Kingdom, eventually graduating with a bachelor's degree in law. In my third year, I have the opportunity to live in Fribourg, Switzerland, as an exchange student. I take it. In retrospect, I don't remember what I studied, but I do remember how much I loved living in Switzerland. While living in Switzerland, Mother remarries her sister's close friend ("The Stepfather") and moves into his house in northwest London.
2006 to present 2010: My application for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK is rejected despite the fact that Mother had been granted the same. Oh well. Time to re-start my life in a new city; destination, Bangkok, Thailand. I start working as legal counsel in an industrial conglomerate, reconnect with friends and enemies from high school, and make new friends and enemies from within Thailand and abroad.
No one knows how the story will end. Hopefully, I will continue living life in good health and learning from it every day!
Incidentally, I learned in 2002 that Chinese Man was not my biological father, but in fact, it is Biological Father. I was informed by one of Mother's relatives who had been present those 20-something years ago, and the story was confirmed by Mother eventually in 2010. I have not met Chinese Man for more than a decade due to bitter fighting on the part of Mother, Chinese Man and myself. If anyone asks me "So, who is your father?" I always reply, "American Dad". It is his influence, nurturing and love which has made me the person that I am today.
As for other the commonly-asked questions "Where are you from?" and "Where do you consider home?", these merit their own separate pages...
As for other the commonly-asked questions "Where are you from?" and "Where do you consider home?", these merit their own separate pages...
