Malaysian-Indian | St. Kitts
I identify as mixed-race, Christian & heterosexual. My mum is from Malaysia but of Indian descent and my dad is from an island in the West Indies, St Kitts. When I think back to growing up all of my friends were from totally different ethnicities and religions and have naturally grown up with friends embracing their different cultures and heritage. In all honesty from getting to know both sides of my family and finally visiting where both of my parents grew up, there are actually more similarities that meets the eye. Caribbean’s and Indians have a lot of similarities in terms of foods with both cultures loving to eat rice, curry, roti and lots of spices. I’ve always had a pretty positive response when mentioning my mix to people as it seems to be an interesting mix to some people and I’ve loved being able to relate to different cultures and people due to my mix. You will naturally always float to people you have something in common with even if it is something as small as the way you would pronounce a word or a food dish you love to eat at home. I think being mixed-race does impact how I blend into society at both work and social situations & connect to current trends, but from my perspective in a very positive way. As majority of companies now have a drive to include and work towards a diverse workforce, being mixed-race can definitely play as a strength I think. You can find yourself connecting with different people regardless of background as you have naturally grown up being open-minded to more than one culture. If I had the opportunity to be reborn I would return as myself as there is nothing from a culture or background perspective I would wish to change. My parents are both from extremely beautiful parts of the world that I was lucky enough to experience and raised me with values that some may not of had the chance to experience. My upbringing from my parents’ cultures to the environment I have grown up in has enabled me to be the person I am today, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
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