I am half Chinese and half Peruvian. Ethnically, my Chinese blood outweighs my Peruvian blood, but culturally I am a full Inca princess. Spanish is my first language and Peru is my second home. I regularly visit the country to see my extended family and sightsee around the multi-faceted terrain. I’ve hiked the snowy peak of Pasto Ruri, sand-boarded down the sand dunes at Ica, bathed under the waterfalls at Pozuzo and tried deer at Tingo Maria. But I have yet to explore my other half.

My asian eyes and black straight hair immediately reveal my Chinese infusion, yet I’ve always downplayed my ethnicity – bursting out in random Spanish, highlighting my hair, learning to salsa. I’ve always tried to hide what I’ve thought to be this socially less accepted race, playing up my Latina-ness and thin Peruvian roots. But after years of denying my heritage and hiding my ethnic roots, I’ve decided to find them, and with that, find my other half. I am going to China.

This summer I’ll be traveling around Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai for a month! I’ll be going with my sister and my grandma in what I hope will be an amazing, (pardon the cliche) out-of-this-world experience! I’m going to break the tourist mold and attempt to live as closely to the people of China as I can. I will eat traditional foods, dress accordingly, and even attempt to navigate the complexities of Madarin.

I was tracing my lineage yesterday, trying to discover my past and my ancestors. Interestingly, my mom told me about a mistake that has trickled down generation after generation – something you would encounter with the immigrants at Ellis Island. When my great-grandfather immigrated to Peru, he said his name was Yi, Choy Pan. Yi as his last name and Choy Pan as his first name. Customs misunderstood his last name to be Yi Choy and named him and his children accordingly. Thus my mom has Yi Choy as a last name. It’s as if John Michael Smith had children that were named Chloe Smith Michael. Oddly, my dad’s last name is also Yi, but there were no mix-ups with his last name.

At first I thought the Yi last name in both my parents was a funny coincidence. I asked my mom and she said that the “Yi” name comes from one family and that they might be related in a very, very distantly, remote way. Yet my dad knows nothing of his ancestors….

I will be visiting the “Yi” villa and visiting the house of my great-grandfather. But what if I discover my parents are closer than they think?!

I’ll be keeping a travel log so make sure to tune in.