I am my own island!

Yesterday while speaking to Halima Apa, we got into the discussion about culture. As I am the best example when it comes to it, a person that is grown up in two different cultures, still unaware of which one to call mine. So while explaining myself I came to the conclusion that I had created my own culture!

Problem:

There are three types of immigrants from my point of view; the ones who adapt to the environment, the ones who choose to remain being visitors and then the last ones those who are like me, two feet in different boats.

Being born in one place and being raised by a different culture has taken the spark out of me. Always in search of belonging somewhere, either I am too exotic for the pale people or I am too pale for the exotic ones, and ironically both of them have the very same question: “Where are you from?” And there is no satisfying answer to it, because when I’m pale I should have said exotic and when I change to exotic then I should have said pale. So am I pale exotic or exotic pale?!

It’s very common for people with similar background to choose a dominant culture and follow that. But what happens when you choose to have it 50%-50%, because I don’t see myself as a Swedish nor do I see myself as a Bangali “second generation immigrant”. Yes, I have a label too given by my dear society! So what do I do?

Solution:

I jump into the sea and swim away to a deserted island and call myself, Shakia. No longer do I have the need of belonging somewhere in society. I am the person I was destined to be, a mix of everything.