外星人
I've been an outsider pretty much my whole life. Having moved across continents, cultures, languages and even accents at key stages in my life, home has become the bed I'm sleeping in at night or the time I get to spend with family. As much as I love people and meeting and interacting with new people from all backgrounds and walks of life, for years, there was always a point in a first meeting I absolutely dreaded: the "where do you come from" question.
Nobody ever understood my dislike of what they would term as 'just being friendly'. For me it came back to fitting in and being accepted in the local landscape. Which I was except for the first five minutes of any first meeting when even visitors from other cities would give me that 'you're not from here' question spree before eventually realising I was actually more local than them!
That being said, I think the real reason behind my discomfort was that I didn't have a straight-forward answer to their simple straightforward question. When your nationality is different from your heritage which is different again to the place you've lived or live... How do you explain two possibly three cultural heritages on three distinct continents, none of which you fully identify with as you never lived long enough in those places to make a lasting impact? Like a label that just doesn't stick.
I love neon signs and this one solves things beautifully: We all come from somewhere. Just don't ask where! Lol! I see myself as a citizen of the world, bringing a piece of each place I've been to to each new place I come to, always able to find a way to connect with and relate to each new person I meet.
What about you? Do any of you actually relate or are you lucky enough to be able to give a straight-forward answer to a straight-forward question?
Share in comments below. Looking forward to discussing this with you.