Trinidadian | English
Mum came here in the 60s to work as a nurse, Dad lived across the road from her accommodation in a bachelor pad! I think it was very hard for my Mum to fit into British culture and be surrounded by people who didn't really understand where Trinidad and Tobago was, let alone the culture and heritage.
Perhaps not so much as a child but the older I got (teenage and beyond) the more interested in my Trinidadian heritage I became, and as a result the closer I am to the Caribbean side of my family. I am lucky enough to be able to visit regularly and spend as much time as I possibly can with my family and feel just as close to both sides of me now. I am not sure that I would say I follow any traditions from either culture specifically and just try to embrace all that I can. However, the Trinidad carnival is a must!
In many ways I assume things for me were simpler than other mixed people growing up based on other people's perceptions, as I don't 'look' mixed or whatever mixed is indeed supposed to look like! With straight blonde hair and fair skin most people just assume I am just another White person in England! That in itself presented its own challenges as I grew up and tried to find my 'place'. I think I weirdly always felt like I had something to prove and also fought fairly strongly against the perception that mixed people always look a certain way. Today I'm proud of my mixed heritage and most importantly do not only not care what people think but enjoy challenging stereotypes!
I wouldn't say I was ever isolated but I certainly feel like I have never really 'belonged', despite how I look I was never really White enough for White people and didn't look mixed enough for mixed people. That's certainly how I felt as a child and I think as a culture we need to do more to raise awareness and not instantly try to label kids as either 'Black, White or Asian'. As an adult it doesn't bother me as I'm comfortable in my own skin and refuse to be put into a box.
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