telia

Student

Hi, my name is Telia. I'm LASALLE student in the fashion diploma. And I'm French.

What’s your family’s cultural background?

I'm from France, Bordeaux, it's in the southwest. My whole family is French. So I'm 100% French. But I was born here and I've been in Singapore my whole life because my parents work here for like 25 years.

What’s your relationship with the Singaporean identity?

I guess i’m a bit partial to it. Because in one hand, I grew up here, so Singapore plays a large part in my life, but in another hand, because I used to go to the French school, often times I feel like I don’t belong when I hang out with other Singaporean. But it is also very different from other countries, because in other countries my parents would not let me go out late or come home alone. So, I like the freedom that I have in this country. But when I'm in France, for the holidays, I don't have this kind of freedom. 

Tell us about your chosen objects

Okay, so my chosen is this bag is Zadig & Voltaire bag. It's a French bag. I really like this bag, because when I were in Singapore, every time I see someone else with this bag, I automatically know that she's French.

So, we usually say Bonjour. And we say hi, because in France, you always say hi, everywhere you go. So it's just like bringing a part of France and Singapore.

Are there any external influences that have shaped your cultural identity?

Not really. Well, I used to speak Chinese for 10 years, but then I stopped for Spanish. Because in French school, you're obligated to learn Chinese from a very young age. So, I guess I’m influenced by a little bit of Chinese and Spanish

What are your thoughts on labels placed on one's racial or ethnic identity? 

I feel like a lot of people do that, even me I do that. I am French, but I insult French people a lot.I do that. For example, for Asian very shy. Caucasian very mean and vulgar. Stuff like that.