Who Am I?

For me, hearing "where are you from" and "where were you born" are normal everyday questions I receive from people that I meet for the first time. Because I am not white people automatically assume that I'm not American or a natural born American. Because I've had to explain my ethnicity, where my heritage is from, as compared to my nationality, where I was born, I've grown accustomed to identifying myself with a Turkish, Afghan, and Indian background. I always felt that I wasn't American rather just someone with a lot of culture living in America. That all changed when I went to Turkey. The moment I stepped off my plane, I realized how American I was. I was aware of my technological attachments, my American vernacular, as well as my American manners and customs. When I had to meet someone new, I automatically reached my hand out to shake theres. Apparently, that's not what they do in Turkey. They' seemed to be more timid and shy about shaking hands. That experience made me realize that I might not have the "ideal" American culture but rather bits and pieces of it as well as some of my ancestors culture and traditions.

It's a real eye opener.