I had my sister Chifunda over for the weekend, and since I love my sister more than life itself, this was pleasant.

We went to Value Village, where we came across a wheelchair......

You fill in the blanks. We didn't get kicked out. We did laugh.... hard.... to the point of tears.

Yesterday Chifunda and I picked up a couple friends of ours who are from Malaysia, and have been somewhat adopted into our family. Then the four of us drove down to Steinbach for thanksgiving dinner with my mom, stepdad, stepsister, her husband, grandmother, two uncles, and an honorary familyless twelve year old.

Our Malaysian sisters are actually cousins. They don't really resemble one another at all. But my grandma, or rather, my stepfather's mother, seemed to think they did. So she asked Joc "Are you two sisters?" to which Joc replied "No." Grandma persisted, "But you look so much alike!"

Joc and Kitbe looked at each other in horror, and the Joc said, "well we're both Asian. That's about the extent of it."

I felt a little uncomfortable, because I knew that was just it. Grandma didn't know many asians and so probably thought they all look the same. She's like 80 years old, you can't get down on her for being sheltered and somewhat..... ignorant..... but I've run into this before, where the emotions were running a little high, and at that moment I heard an old friend's voice responding to another friend, "what, because we're both black, now we look alike?"

So in true Leila form I decided to make a joke. I turned to Joc and said in my most shocked voice, "You're BOTH Asian?"

Joc turned to me with a blank look on her face, not having expected the joke, but quite used to my goofing off. As Chifunda cracked up laughing, I turned to Kitbe and stated, "I thought you were Mexican!!"

The evening followed with Mexican jokes galore. Not ignorant racist mexican jokes, but goodnatured teasing. "Hey can you tell the mexican to pass the sour cream?"

Some people are really touchy about drawing attention to racial differences, but I think that tiptoeing around it is just another type of racism. We should be able to recognize our differences, kid around about them. Especially in a case such as the one we have in our family, where Chifunda and I have such a profound amount of respect for our Asian sisters and for Eastern culture.

I enjoyed getting to know Kitbe, sitting out on the back deck discussing Asian cuisine and points of interest in her homeland. I told her that the next time she goes home for a visit, she's obligated to take me with her, and show her around.

I'd love to go to Malaysia...... my list of destinations is getting way too long.