Kurdish | Czech
I felt like I never fit in anywhere. I was never with ‘my people’, meaning I didn't share the same nationality or complex culture with anyone. I was trying to fit in but the German culture never resonated with anything I learned from my parents. I felt out of place and thought I was a matter of not being in the right country, which made me move around a lot. This was until I met like-minded people with a mixed background. I felt out of place and lost until my mid-twenties. Once I was in a different environment, I felt normal and accepted, one of the most beautiful things I've experienced. Today I understand that I can choose to fit in anywhere I want because I can surround myself with people who understand the struggle and feel similarly.
From my experience, I always had a lot of explaining to do because my identity is not very straightforward. I often felt like people were trying to fit me in a box as in equating my place of birth or nationality with my cultural identity. That was very draining and made me feel even more out of place.
I often justified myself because people were asking me about my languages and why I'm not fluent in both of my parent’s tongues.
Don't give up on explaining your point of view to other people who might not be able to relate immediately. We are all shaped by our environment and people are exposed to different cultural environments. Feeling like you belong is in my experience when people truly accept you for who you are.
People still call me ‘exotic’ or say: ‘wow, that's an interesting mix’. I'm embracing it. I can relate to a variety of cultures because I recognise aspects of my own cultures. Today I clearly see the advantages of my background. But I wish there was more awareness and acceptance. Having said that, I feel like we're slowing transitioning towards a more inclusive society.
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