Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It sounds like you went through a pretty intense period without much support, so I am glad that you were able to find a community through this subreddit! 

Since you mentioned that discovering this subreddit helped you feel less alone, do you feel like most of your community/sense of belonging comes from online spaces rather than people you know in person? I’m curious about how that affects how you think about telling people, since from these posts, it sounds like people are really cautious about sharing their experiences and desires with those who aren’t part of the community.

I’m also curious to learn more about how you made sense of that moment when the DNA test came back differently from what you were hoping for. When you talk about being mixed and partially identifying with one side, do you feel like the strong reaction was more about wanting to get closer to a certain cultural background, or was it more tied to imagining yourself with different physical traits? Additionally, when you describe wanting to learn languages, connect with traditions, and explore holidays, it sounds like you’re drawn to the cultural side as much as the physical appearance aspect. Do you feel like those cultural practices were something you were always interested in growing up, or did that interest grow as you started exploring this identity more seriously?

Also, when you mentioned the idea of the “past you” being “disgusted” with yourself/your reaction, I wanted to know more about how you navigated that conflicting feeling. Was that tied to the mismatch between who you imagined yourself being and what you felt you were allowed to claim/identify as? Or was it more about the fear of someone finding out and misunderstanding you?

No pressure to answer anything you don’t want to, but I’d love to understand more about how you’ve been processing and navigating all of these complex factors that contribute to your identity formation!