Welsh | Sierra Leonean
My Mum is from Freetown, Sierra Leone and my Dad from Aberystwyth, Wales. A few months after arriving in Aberystwyth my Mum and Dad met in a pub, after my Dad asked her to dance. They soon got married and I was born, followed by my two brothers and adopted sister. I don’t remember any challenges between my parents in combining their cultures, what stands out to me is their parenting styles. My Mum is the main breadwinner of the family and she worked long hours throughout my childhood while my Dad took care of me, my siblings and housework. My Mum is also the strict one and has always encouraged me and my siblings to work hard at school and be ambitious in life. My Dad in comparison was more laid back. My Mum really ingrained in us how lucky we are to have good educational opportunities in the U.K. I credit my ambition and drive to her work ethic and parenting, which I believe stems from her own upbringing in Sierra Leone and the lack of opportunity she had.
My boyfriend is Slovenian and I find it so cool being able to share our cultural backgrounds. Spending almost every day with your partner and learning about their background and identity is probably the closest way you can get a feel for somebody else’s experiences. My boyfriend has been able to get an insight into my very different experience of being a mixed-race woman. Unfortunately there is still stigma around interracial relationships; even in London people sometimes stare when I’m with my boyfriend. I recently visited Slovenia to spend time with my boyfriend’s family. There aren’t many black or mixed-race people there. Most people stared at me which made me feel really uncomfortable and out of place. The same happens when I go on holiday in Europe with my family. I’ve been told that me and my siblings don’t look mixed-race, and that my Dad who is White doesn’t look like our Father. I think people forget that mixed-race people don’t all look the same. In terms of the way I look, I have always struggled with accepting the more ‘Black’ parts of my appearance.
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