ASIAN.

ASIAN.

When I was in about 7^th grade, I made a best friend. We played in band together and just got along phenomenally. After about a year, maybe a year and a half, he asked me if I had any Asian in my blood. I don’t think I knew at that point, but I was a little shocked and pretty sure that the answer was no. I told my good buddy a few days later, after checking with my parents, that no, David Gillie, I was not Asian. It was then that the joke began.

Being called Asian was never something I had a hard time with to any serious degree. I would fight it and giggle about it and fight it some more. My senior year in high school, my entire friend group, which was pretty mighty after going to school with the same 200 people for 12 years, thought it was hilarious to make Asian jokes.

I went to Brazil in 2008 fresh after graduation for a mission trip. We had a great time and it was my first mission. We got to finish a church building, brick and all, do a sports camp with beautiful Brazilian babies, and experience Brazil. One day during the construction of the church, the village kids and myself were playing a lovely game of charades, attempting to communicate when a little boy took his two index fingers and pulled the skin around his eyes, and then pointed at me. I tried to pretend that that didn’t really just happen, and maybe it was just a meaningless gesture, but he continued to get his question across asking if I was Asian. It was so funny, I look the little boy around to all of my buddies who knew the joke and made him repeat what he had done. I couldn’t wait to get back and tell all of my punk friends that they weren’t the only one that thought I was Asian.

Fast forward two years and hop from South America to Southern Asia, and here I am. Today was Sarah and I’s first day at the orphanage and let me say, this place is beautiful. There is work to be done and girls to be loved, and within the first two hours we each had girls in our arms speaking Thai-lish (English+ Thai) They are eager to learn and make new friends and they all giggle and hide their faces when they first meet us.

As we were being introduced to the first 4 girls and one of the property staff, through the translation they managed to get across that they thought “.. one of my ancestors may be Thai, or Chinese.. Asian in your blood?..”

OH

MY

GOODNESS

So, the joke continues. David Gillie, what started in seventh grade is, no joke, going international. And if you’re curious,

I’m German.

Love- Kelli