Your culture defines you in this country.. and I guess anywhere.. but for some reason I struggle to define myself.. yet continuously find the need to..
In America I was strange.. I ate different food.. celebrated different holidays.. listened to different music.. my culture was a HUGE part of how I grew up.. but of course not to the extreme of people who actually grew up in this country.. does that mean it counts for less?
I was raised not to call myself an American but an Arab-American! Were they just words? Nobody seems to believe them but me… but in my heart it is SO strong!
I am not someone who really believes in religion but there is no doubt in my mind that my kids will be raised Muslim. I will show them the beauty that I see in my religion.. the morals.. the ethics.. the “magic” for lack of a better word.. My children will grow up to be proud Muslims like me!
My kids will be raised to see the beauty in the culture. They will see it through my eyes.. the eyes of their ancestors.. and the eyes of every Arab around them.. they will see it from someone who gave up an “American” life because of the love of this culture (which.. im sorry.. is at least more than I can say for some of the people here who dislike this culture and always fight with me about my decision).. My children will grow up to be proud Arabs like me!
In America I was Arab and here I am American.. unless u are in this you will NEVER understand how frustrating that is.. do I not have a say to which culture I belong? Can’t I have a mixture of both instead of not being good enough to be either?!
Not to mention the Iranian parts……
