ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY PROJECT

My name is Kathy Mathieson.  I’ve lived in Burke, VA since 1985.  I’m a first generation Chinese American, since I traveled to the United States to do my graduate studies at Syracuse University.  My husband of over thirty years comes from a Scottish/English heritage.   We were told that the education system in Fairfax County was excellent, and that was one of the major factors that enticed us to move to this area. 

During our early years in Burke, our children experienced somewhat unusual treatment because they were of “mixed race.”  Luckily, we parents participated in school activities, and kids made friends with classmates with similar values and background, so we didn’t encounter too many hardships.

Since we moved in here in 1985, we’ve noticed that the county has undergone dramatic change -- physically the roads are wider, but the traffic is much worse.  The international population is significantly larger, there are more stores that cater to the diverse population, and we can hear more languages being spoken.  The county is like a mini “United Nations,” a wonderful place to live in, enjoy diverse cultures, and benefit from rich life experiences.

As I mentioned above, I am a first generation Asian American.  My children and I, of course, experienced gap issues related to life in the States and our desire to protect and retain both of our heritages.  The first and most obvious challenge was the need for my children to learn Chinese at home.  Secondly, some daily chores, rules and family values differ between societies.  For example, curfew, giving allowances, and addressing older generation people with a title, like Mrs. Smith, instead of calling them by their first names. 

When my children were young, there were not many Asian American communities around, but we insisted on teaching our children Chinese at home.  We also kept our family traditions and celebrated special events by sharing customs with our sons’ classes.  That effort did pay off.  I found that people around us accepted and became more tolerant of diverse cultures.   

In other words, I communicated with school teachers and volunteered to give talks on Chinese culture when special occasions occurred.  For example, I taught the school children Chinese paper cutting, and origami.  Through these and related activities, children learn to appreciate and respect other cultures.  I even held a paper folding class at the County’s Recreation Center, and my son was my assistant.  Those efforts in which I served as a bridge gave our son’s confidence and recognition as a mixed race.

Besides volunteering at my children’s schools, I also worked as a Chinese interpreter and translator for the Fairfax County School System.  This job gave me a chance to act like a link between the school administration and Chinese parents and students.  I believe that my hard work and efforts did bring mutual understanding and respect among the parties.

The advice I’d like to give to the younger Chinese American  generation is to learn your parents’ native language and traditions if possible.  Be proud of your heritage, and cherish your unique cultural background.  Bring the best of your culture’s strength to society.

As to the suggestion to develop a Fairfax County Asian American History, I’d very much like to see the county benefit from our county’s diverse population, rich in multicultural exchange, languages, and activities.  Through education and heritage awareness activities, people respect, accept, tolerant and understand each other’s differences, and appreciate and cherish this unique community.  Hopefully we can set a good model for other parts of the country, showing that it is possible to live harmoniously and indeed have a richer lifestyle with a diverse population.

 Kathy Mathieson in 1982 at home in Falls Church