All my life, I have been told by other kids that I talk about my culture too much. It somehow annoys them that I appreciate who I am and where my blood roots come from. Being born and raised in America by two parents who were not makes life a little difficult for us first generation children. We are pressured into living the typical American lifestyle, while our parents raise us as if we are in their home country.
My parents wanted my siblings and me to have the best of both worlds. They wanted us to grow up and have a life like any other kid in America, whose ancestors have been here for generations, but still be connected with where we come from. Ever since the day I was born, my mother would be the one to speak to me in Arabic, while my father spoke to me in English, automatically making me bilingual by the time I was able to speak for myself. My mother cooked meals from our culture, and eventually showed me how to cook some of it myself. Both of my parents would play Arabic music in the car on the way to family gatherings, where even more music was being played and danced along to. They would watch the Lebanese news, and inform me on what is going on back in their home country. My family and I would go to Lebanon every other summer, and I would get to see all my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more importantly, my parents' home. I was given the chance to experience my culture in the heart of it. Continuing this tradition of going every other summer connected me more and more to who I am as I got older. While being exposed to my culture, at the same time I was still exposed to American culture, where I was able to figure out on my own what I liked from it.
I will forever be grateful for my parents exposing me to my roots. Realizing that not everyone gets the chance to be as into their culture as I am makes me appreciate everything a little more. I have learned to the comments made to me as a kid, and even the occasional ones now as an 18 year old. Talking about my culture reassures me that I am still connected with who I am. I think about the future and having children, and wonder if I will ever be able to teach them about who they are as well as my parents taught me. I love my culture and have no problem making sure that people know this. I consider myself to have two home countries, because two is better than one.
