Sri Lankan | Ghanaian
My Dad was born in Ghana and my Mum in Sri Lanka. I think having parents from two different continents and then growing up on a third has allowed me to be more empathetic of cultural differences in general, and how to interact with a wide range of people. I’m also really lucky to have a Mum who makes the best curry this side of Colombo! Most of my mum’s family still live in Sri Lanka so growing up I didn’t get to see them that often, but through my Mum’s cooking and listening to my Mum speak to her relatives in Singhalese on the phone, I was always reminded of that side of my Mum’s culture. Luckily a lot of my Dad’s family lived in the UK/London so it was easier to connect with them physically and our Ghanaian culture through food, dance, language etc. I’ve only been to Ghana once but I loved it! I remember being fascinated seeing where my Dad grew up and seeing how different it was to the UK. It was also really cool to see so many people that looked like me and my family in one place. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Sri Lanka quite a few times too and have always felt so welcomed by my Sri Lankan family, we definitely get the special treatment when we’re out there. They’re always so pleased too that our non-Sri Lankan friends want to come and visit the island too. I remember being aware that I wasn’t like most of the children around me at high school, in that my parents weren’t White or from the UK. I’m still aware (especially whilst at university and now in my professional life) that I’m a minority, but I feel even more proud of my heritage, and want to use my mixed-race ethnicity as a way to educate others about diversity and inclusion. I think having had exposure to different cultures growing up has really shaped me and can definitely see the benefit of sharing that experience with others. I’d 100% be born with the same background and in the UK. The only difference I’d make was to make my parents teach me their mother tongues – it would have made interacting with my family overseas a lot easier!
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