Czech | Syrian
I identify as a Czech-Syrian raised in Jamaican household. My step-dad is Jamaican, and my biological dad is Syrian. My mum is Czech. I was born in Brno, Czech Republic and was raised in Jamaica. My family and I moved to London in 2004. My mom often told me about my biological dad and where he came from and I was fascinated by the Syrian culture. In a way I always felt that a part of me was missing in that respect and I spent a lot of time wondering how different my life would have been, but I wouldn’t change anything about my life or my childhood. In Jamaica I felt more like I belonged because it’s a very mixed nation, after all the national motto is ‘Out of many, One people.’, and it is true. The only time I felt excluded was one time when at school a teacher made an unkind comment towards me about race/colour in the run-up preparations for Black History month celebrations at school. In terms of my mom’s relationship with my biological Dad, it was even more frowned upon due to not only his ethnicity but religion as well. His family didn’t approve of my mom as they thought she was Jewish and would only allow them to marry if she converted to Islam. I think it was one of the many reasons why it didn’t work out for them. I’ve been lucky to have been exposed to many cultures and traditions and I feel it has made my life rich and varied, and so I am able to be understanding and tolerant towards others. I feel very connected to people from all walks of life. I embrace everything about all my cultures, food, literature, arts etc. I speak Czech and I also speak Patois (Jamaican dialect), which takes a lot of people by surprise. I don’t speak Arabic, but I aim to rectify that soon, especially as my biological dad made contact with me last summer after 30 years. I believe that I am exactly where I am meant to be in my life at this point; I think everything in my life has come full circle, especially since my biological dad made contact with me after 30 years of silence. I have my partner and my son, and I feel complete. My life is full, I wouldn’t change a thing.
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