December 19, 2011
Dutch Heritage Essay Contest
Ellianne Huizinga took 2nd place for her entry in the Dutch Heritage essay contest for high school students. Here is her winning entry.
Made in China, Adopted Dutch, Born to be American
By: Ellianne Huizinga
On a particular day in March, March twenty-first to be exact, a boat (Maas Dam) was bringing immigrants from Groningen in the Netherlands to Hoboken, New Jersey. There was a very special passenger on this boat. When she had been in the old country she met a little boy in elementary school. The girl’s name was Frances or Franny (Feikje) and the boy’s name was Tony (Tonnis). Tony as a little boy liked to pick on Franny and especially enjoyed pulling on her hair. However, little did they know that their relationship would grow into the greatest love that anyone could have. It would be so great that once they were separated by Tony moving to America, Frances would follow three years later (1955). Frances left Thesinge, her home town, and her family alone. She didn’t know English but she was bound and determined to be with the man she loved, no matter what obstacles stood in the way. Guess who was standing there waiting for Frances when she got off that boat in Hoboken; Tony. After coming to America, Tony three years earlier, decided to join the United States Army in order to get his American citizenship. He had driven up from Fort Benning, Georgia to New Jersey so he could meet Frances and drive her to Michigan. The weather was terrible that day but nothing could change the happiness that the couple shared in their reunion after waiting three years.
Tony and Frances married August 23, 1956 and had three sons and a daughter. One of their sons named Jack grew up to marry a woman named Karen. Karen was also Dutch but not so directly connected to the culture. Jack and Karen Huizinga decided they wanted to adopt a baby girl from China. They adopted me on March 26, 1997 and I became an American citizen November 6, 1998. I look Chinese and have lived with that part of me at home. My grandparents are thoroughly Dutch and have therefore passed down many things involved in Dutch culture through their Dutch influence. I’ve lived the life I can remember in America.
Every time I look in the mirror or get a Made in China sticker put on me by my friends I know where I am from. At our house we have many Chinese decorations, celebrate Chinese New Year, and go to Heritage Camp to learn about our Chinese culture. At home I also have some Dutch culture in little things that I don’t even think about really. When I was adopted my parents gave me a blanket and while most people would call it a blanky, I call mine my doekje. My sister does the same with hers. Cheese is one of my favorite foods; my favorite type is gouda cheese, which is very Dutch. At the dinner table my dad sometimes shares stories of my grandparents in the Netherlands, him growing up with full on Dutch parents, and his visits to the old country. However, I feel the most Dutch at my grandma and grandpa’s house.
When I go to my grandparents’ house the first thing that assures you that you are in a Dutch home is my grandparents’ accent when they say hi to us. It is also very clear that family is important to them in that they always tell us how much they love us and how much we mean to them. On my birthday Grandma and Grandpa are always there after my dinner of pork roast, mashed potatoes with the drippings from the meat as gravy, and brussels sprouts. They always give gifts to my siblings when it is my birthday and vice versa because my grandpa managed his money well enough to have a comfortable retirement. He, as a Dutchman, managed his money and insurance well. My grandparents also made sure that they had money for the tithe when they went to church. They have been and still go twice on Sunday with a strong faith and love of God. This part of them has influenced me in my walk with Christ by setting a good example of what a Christian life looks like. God brought me to live in America and this is my home. But living in America makes me curious about both cultures and histories because in school you mainly learn about American history and not much of others’. I have grown up with three different perspectives and don’t know much about two of them. All of this makes me think of who I really am. Am I Chinese because of my appearance? Am I Dutch because of who my family is? Or am I American because of my location and memories of my history? Being Chinese, Dutch, or American is all fine but for where God is leading me I believe being all three heritages are necessary to my identity and who I will be because I am all three.
