Where are you from?

   I remember reading an article during the summer that talked about what an "American looked like." It started off with a cab driver asking someone if he was Indian because he did not look American. He responded by saying "What does an american look like?" and the cab drive answered "blonde hair and blue eyes." Reading this article upset me primarily because from what I have learned in history classes Native Americans were the first Americans and they do not have blonde hair and blue eyes. They lived on this land way before Europeans came to take over.  But with the exception of Native American Indian, an "American" does not have a certain look because America is home to beautiful array of ethnicities.  On most city streets it's possible to look around and see a plethora of people representing different parts of the world.
   Kind of going off of what we talking about in class, I don't understand why some people are too embarrassed to ask where someone is from. As far as I know people won't get offended, especially if they are proud of their nationality. Personally, I like the reactions people have when I tell them that I am Dominican and Liberian, it lets them know that there is more to me than meets the eye.  At the same time, I get to teach them about two cultures. Similarly, not only do I get to teach my peers about these cultures, I also get to teach my relatives.  Although I rarely spent time with my Dominican side and Liberian side at the same gathering, I never had the issue of feeling out of place with either side during the holidays.
    But looking at it from a different perspective, here in America when people ask me "Where are you from?" I would respond by saying "my dad is Liberian, and my mom is Dominican."  But I feel as though if I were to go to London and someone asked me the same question, I would probably say "American."  And that's interesting because I do not have a real reason as to why I would respond that way.  They're asking me the same question right? Is it because it is simpler? Or is it simply because I automatically assume that they can tell that I'm not from the area? Who's to say that they are not asking me in the same way the people from America do? This is something I will definitely be thinking about the next couple of days, because I want to find a legitimate answer.