Where Are You From?

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The question, “Where are you from?” always makes me cringe inside. And given my penchant for wearing my heart on my sleeve, I’m sure it makes me cringe on the outside as well. First of all, the question is hard for me to answer because my concept of home is fluid – especially when I’m traveling, when home is where my backpack is. I was born in Canada, but raised in California. Yet, the United States won’t grant me citizenship. I’ve been detained, questioned and threatened with deportation at the American border almost every time I cross it. How can that be home? On the other hand, I’ve lived, loved and lost in Costa Rica for the past two and a half years. It’s there that I discovered my love of diving and teaching. And it’s there that I imagine returning to. How can that not be home? How can I only have one home?

More importantly, I hate the question, “Where are you from?” because where I am from is not the basis of who I am. It is, however, the basis for stereotypes of who I am (the question, “What do you do?” is frustrating for a similar reason). If I say Canada, I must like the cold. If I say California, I must like to surf. If I were to say Mississippi, I must be a grit-eating, football-cheering racist. So, where am I from? I’m a citizen of the world, and I’m a human being. What else do you need to know?

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Comments

[Giselle]

Happy New Year
Why did you make your Munich trip so short? Have you been to Austria? Just curious.

[Tiffany Kreger]

How true
What you can articulate with words truly astonishes me sometimes. I totally agree with it all. If only the mass population could be the free thinker you are mabe there would not be so much hate. You touch so many peoples hearts with the way you think on so many different levels that I feel the need to tell you so you can see just how important you are. I love you my world citizen.

[Jessica]

I like you...
And this thought provoking post.