Indian | Swiss

I grew up in Switzerland in Zurich and then moved to London. I identify myself as pretty international. But probably from London I would say. A Londoner. My parents actually met in the U.S. They were both working in Washington DC. There were huge differences in the cultures. Indian culture vs Swiss culture. Swiss culture is a lot more formal. They don’t talk about their emotions. My Indian family was very large, they were very close. There were always tears, either of happiness or sadness and I have lots of cousins and we all treat each other as brothers and sisters whereas with my swiss family, it is a lot more austere. It is typically a very European, Germanic upbringing which is very very different.

In terms of relationships I don’t have a particular preference. Being mixed myself, I find lots of things attractive. I actually really do appreciate other mixed people because I think they can relate to different cultures, growing up in different environments, being at ease with lots of different types of people. I would say I gravitate more towards people who are quite international and quite open minded,. That's kinda been the history of my relationships. I like people who want to see the world and want to travel. People that want to understand new cultures and don’t want to stay in one place.

There was always a confidence in my family with our mix. An impression that we should use it to our advantage and for sure it is an advantage. It has been an immensely positive experience and has given me a lot of confidence as well. As the world becomes more mixed and more people marry into different cultures and different countries, I think it is really gonna spell the end of countries, nationalism, the politics of putting a country first. You know how Trump is saying, “put America first - America above everything, not immigrants.” Or you are seeing in Europe, in France for example with far right parties. I think that this is going to dissipate because people are going to be international, they are not going to care so much about one specific country. Countries will become less relevant.