Zoe and Maya want to give advice to those conflicted about who to cheer for in the Olympics, since they're experts on the issue, having dealt with it for the 2008 Summer Olympics:
Q: If you were born in one country and adopted to another country, and you were watching the Olympics, who would you cheer for?
Zoe: That’s a tough question. Because you might feel bad about cheering for some country where you don't live. But you’re also part of the country where you were born. You can feel sad and happy at the same time when one of your important countries loses and one of your important countries wins. It can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong if you cheer for one and not the other. Or you might feel bad if you’re not cheering for the place where you live.
My mom says people feel loyal to their country, and it can be hard if you have two countries. So I decided to cheer for all the countries important to me. I cheer for China, where I was born, and America, where I live now, and France since that’s where my Mimi comes from.
So that’s my advice to you if you are wondering who to cheer for in the Olympics. Cheer for all the countries that are important to you. I was really happy when Shaun White got a gold medal in snowboarding, and was excited when the Chinese figure skating couple won the gold medal, and I liked watching Florent Amodio from France skate, and I like that he was adopted like me.
Maya: You should cheer for who you want to cheer for, and not feel bad. Or you could cheer for China, France, and America, like my sister said.
Great advice, girls! It sounds like your cheering plan is in place.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, girls!
ReplyDeleteIn my home, I'm adopted (born in USA but birth relatives are from Japan). My sons were born in Japan, but their nationality is 100% American.
In our house, we cheer for the countries important to us: USA and Japan - equally! And I cheer for adoptees (like Florent Amodio) and multiracial athletes (like J.R. Celski!).