What are you?

It's not a question that normally bothers me, but it is getting a little played out. Since I've started wearing the green contacts, there seems to be a renewed interest into my background. There have been very few times in my life where being a mixed child has caused any issues. One incident that comes to mind was a grade 8 math class, where we were working on percentages and the teacher tried to split us up according to ethnicity. She made me stand between the "White" and "Black" kids and I counted as a .5 for each group. (I keep telling my family I'll marry a guy who is mixed Indian and Chinese to make life interesting for my future children.)

I'm not the only one who is getting the question. I've been asked in each of my classes and normally after asking me the question will go around to everyone in the vicinity. When I first started working at my job somebody asked (on the wrong day) and I answered with "Why?". I understand when children ask, but whenever an adult poses the question it makes me wonder of what great importance is it to them.

My mom and I went to pick up my little sister from school and one of the children asked her if she was adopted. I get the child's confusion as to a "Black" kid having a "White" mother. My sister didn't like or understand the other kid's question. With the number of interracial couples I've seen lately, I'm sure there'll shortly be a whole new crop of kids getting the "are you adopted?" question.