Humans of the Embassy: Andrew Ou, Political Chief

"Hi! My name is Andrew H. Ou . I’m a U.S. diplomat currently serving in Singapore. This is my story.

I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, but my family and I moved to the United States when I was 13. Because of my father’s job, we were constantly moving to?and visiting?different countries. We lived in Korea, Japan, the US, and?Kenya.

I had the advantage of having an expanded vision of the world because of my global upbringing and Asian-American heritage, but that also came with some challenges. There were times when I was made to feel less American than others – both within my organization and from outside. There was one instance when I was serving in?Jamaica as a Consular officer, an applicant came up to my interview window and asked, “Am I at the Chinese Embassy?”.

Through all this I’m lucky that I have a strong support system to go through the ups and downs of life. My mother?and siblings?have been with me throughout my marriage, my son’s birth, then my divorce. My mother is living with me and my son here in Singapore and has?been a huge help for me in balancing my career and taking care of my son as a single parent.

My son Jin loves the public transport in Singapore, so sometimes we spend the weekends riding the MRTs, LRTs, and buses all over the island. Thanks to him I’ve seen so much of Singapore and how?Singaporeans live.

I’ve been to Singapore in the past, but now as a resident, I am able to delve into all the complexities that any country has. The best thing about living here is its diversity. I see that in the diversity of food, culture, and people. I feel like I’m free to be myself. Being queer is just?one part of my identity, but I take great pride in being a visible representation of the fact that my country and many of our closest friends and partners value my contributions as someone who can?live openly and freely with the same rights and obligations as everybody else.

I remembered a tennis tournament in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where I played on the international?LGBTQIA+ circuit. I met others in globally minded lines of work, heard languages from all over the world at the tournament site, competed against a fellow queer single parent, and had?zizhucan for lunch with friends from Europe. It was an amazing feeling to be with?a shared community,?playing a sport we all loved, in an atmosphere where we felt safe, respected, and valued.

I guess what I’m trying to say is?that?too often we are made to feel less, for whatever reason–appearance, gender, sexuality, age, marital status, the way we speak, even abilities and skills.?If you know and love yourself, you can then start to think about where you can add the most value to your profession, and how you can go about making progress with your professional or personal life.?It doesn’t mean you’ll be successful all the time. But at least you will approach things knowing what you bring to the table and giving yourself the strength to take risks and try."

Read our other Humans of the Embassy features here.