I am both American and Pakistani. Proud of both my unique cultural identities. My nationality is American and my ethnic heritage is Pakistani.

1. You probably have a really big family.

And you have to say hello to everyone at family events - literally everyone. You have to greet them person by person. There's no way around it. But this also teaches you great people skills and you are always respectful to everyone you meet.

2. In your opinion, Pakistani food is the best.

Whether it's Naan and Kebab or Chapli Kebab, different kinds of Gosht dishes. (Gosht means meat in Urdu). And Loobia, which is kidney bean stew. We also have the best desserts like Falooda and Halwa and Barfi and Kulfi. Pakistani food is the best, hands down. You also know that your family parties always have way too much food. Either you order to much food from the restaurant, or everyone makes too much food

3. You grow up being poly-lingual.

(This is an example of Urdu from theBible)

You understand Urdu, Punjabi, and even sometimes Pashto and you still manage to have English as your first language. You have the special ability to converse in four different languages by the time your four years old. It's a blessing to grow up with great language skills. You also grow up appreciating what a beautiful language Urdu is, even though many of us (like myself) can't read or write in Urdu. But we can still appreciate how beautiful the language sounds and looks. Sometimes I even find myself thinking in Urdu and talking to my friends in Urdu accidentally.

4. You grow up with all your cousins.

Your cousins are more like siblings, especially when you're growing up. You guys have all the embarrassing pictures from childhood together, and you still take amazing pictures together to this day.

5. You're blessed to have connections to so many different unique cultures.

You have a unique connection with Indian, Iranian, Afghan and Turkish culture. Those cultural connections are thanks to our similar ethnic clothing, languages, food and ethnic backgrounds. Pakistani culture is a hybrid of Northern Indian, Iranian, Afghan, and Turkish culture.

6. You always have to explain to people where Pakistan is.

No, it's not in the Middle East. It's only actual border with the Middle East is Iran. Pakistan is in between South Asia and Central Asia. Central Asia is Afghanistan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Pakistan's largest borders are shared with India, Afghanistan, and Iran. Once more, Pakistan is not in the Middle East.

7. You have the blessing of being a part of two of different cultures.

You have your Pakistani side and your American side. You are able to be a part of two unique cultures. You grow up being able to balance east and west. Your American identity and your Pakistani identity. You love Kebabs and Burgers, Pizza and Tacos as well as Naan and Gosht ka Salan aka Lamb Stew. You learn to straddle between both identities. Your the perfect mix of both identities the Eastern side and Western Side.

8. People don't understand that there are actually a lot of Christians in Pakistan.

I can't stress this point enough. My whole family is Christian from both sides. Both my mom and dad are Christian. And so are there families. They have been Christian for 100 years. Christians are the largest minority religious group in Pakistan.

9. You most likely have never been to Pakistan.

But regardless, you still feel a strong cultural connection with Pakistani culture.

10. Your weddings and engagements parties are like a Bollywood movie.

For anyone who doesn't know, Bollywood is a type of lavish Indian musical film with a bevy of amazing clothing, dance numbers and overall grandiose. We go all-out. With our beautiful extravagant outfits and over the top food and decorations. Our family parties are low-key Bollywood movies. I like to believe I am a Bollywood star in the making.

11. There are many different ethnic groups in Pakistan.

My parents belong to the two biggest ethnic groups. My Dad is from the Punjab state; he's Punjabi. Punjabis are the biggest ethnic group. My Mom is from the Frontier region of Pakistan area; she's Pasthun and Punjabi. Pashtuns are the second biggest ethnic group in Pakistan.

12. Your family is probably really loud, like mine.

Your family is loud, a little crazy, unconditionally loving, and supportive. And you wouldn't have it any other way.