Monday, September 26, 2011

Where are you from?

I have been asked this question my entire life. For most people, the answer is simple.
"I am from..Texas, New York, Colombia, Egypt, Long Island etc...."
For me, I have never found the question an easy one. I was born in Alexandria, Egypt and moved to the US when I was a toddler. I grew up primarily in New Jersey, but have also lived in North Dakota (for about a year), Maine and my most recent residence is in New Hampshire, before moving to Colombia. People here often ask "Where are you from?" I will at first say, "The US, but usually will add, however, I was born in Egypt." Actually, I like saying Egipto in Spanish, so I will usually say "Yo soy Egipto." When I was still in Jersey, I would always say, "I'm Egyptian." When visiting family in Egypt, I was considered a foreigner, regardless if I saw myself that way.
I could never relate to people who have lived their entire lives in one place, or who live in the same house as their grandparents, or even their parents. Being from more than one place will always be who I am and where I am from. I realized that I have developed character traits from the two places that have impacted my life the most. Egypt and New Jersey.  It was during a recent conversation with people here that I came to the conclusion that what I am most accurately is a "Jersey Arab." I talk fast and with my hands (one of my friends here calls me ghetto fabulous because of the hand talking). The talking fast is both from  Arabic being my first language and from growing up in Jersey. I tend to speak first and think later.  I am not sure I can blame this on either identity, but if I had to choose, I would say that's the Jersey in me.
I have told people here I am "from" New Hampshire, but I am not fooling anyone. New Englanders are not nearly as in your face outgoing and loud as I am. I thought I would not be the loudest person in the room when I came to Colombia. Well, I still am. Colombians, in general, are not a loud people. When I am out to eat, I have found people turn and look at me either when I am laughing, or telling a story (in which case, I tend to get very animated).
So, where am I from? I am a US Jersey Arab with a house in New Hampshire who currently resides in Cartagena, Colombia. 



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