Where do I belong? Here.
Late-night social media scrolling left me staring at a family photo that looked slightly like my own. Striking East African features blended with a hazel eye and fair complexion on the countenance of a sweet toddler just loving his ethnically diverse parents full-heartedly. I looked down at my own nursing baby. What will she know of her mother’s mother’s homeland? Will she be asked the same questions I have faced in my life? Will she know that most blonde-haired babies don’t swallow mouthfuls of injera with delight? This little corner of the internet looked a lot like me with commenters that looked just like me sharing culturally ambiguous names. So, I wondered, Is this where I belong? When we moved abroad to Ireland, I was questioned by a colleague about my intercultural experience. It was assumed that, because I came from the United States of America and spoke with a twinge of a southern accent, I must not be “cultured” and would need help navigating intercultural conversations.