Monday, April 2, 2012
When thinking about who I am, I think place and identity are two words that lead very closely to defining me. I moved around a lot in the last 19 years. Most of these moves were due to my dad's work and as much as I love him, I didn't love that I had to keep starting over. I was born in Sweden and lived there (and a couple of years in Denmark) for 8
years. In 2001 my family and I
moved to Ohio, followed by another move to Long Island in 2007, and then back
to Ohio this past summer. Moving to the United States was a huge adjustment for my family, but since I was younger I don't think I was fully aware of how it would actually affect me. Going through school, not being fluent in the language and seeing an entirely new culture was difficult at times. Once I began to get the hang of it, five years had gone by and to my dismay, it was time to leave again. Our move to NY was the hardest on me. For some reason I shut down for about six months and was miserable because I missed my friends and wanted to go back to Ohio. Long Island was not, and will never be, a place I am fond of. No offense to anyone from Garden City, NY, but the general view of its population is rich, white narrow minded people. Along with all the moving around, I am also multiracial, half black and half white. People that are multiracial know that sometimes knowing where you fit in isn't the easiest thing. My friends always say I'm "the whitest black girl" they know and it does make sense. Since Sweden's population is mostly white, this helped shape who I am. I grew up mostly around white people, including my mom's side of the family. Garden City also happens to be 99% white so obviously that culture has been dominant through out my life.
Over the last 19 years, I've gone through a lot of ups and downs, not only with place but also identity. Moving around and not always knowing who you are is something many people are familiar with. I know I've been shaped into this person and it wasn't until recently that I found myself being okay with it. Coming to college allowed me to see that I was happy with the person I had become and I was confident in myself. I now know that no matter where I am or what changes about me, I will always be able to make something good out of it.
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I am so proud of you because you can adapt yourself very well in different places. Unlike me, i take a long time to adapt myself to new a place that i move in. I took the whole quarter here in OSU to get familiar which the culture, weather and big university life. This is most probably because i never moved around to other country since i was born. transferring to US is my first move across the border own my own country. keep up your sense of adaptability because it will ease the paths in your life.
ReplyDeleteI really respect how you constantly had to pack up and move and you tried your best to not let it affect you in a negative way. I never moved outside of the city I grew up in; so it is hard for me to understand completely what you went through. Your story is very enlightening and I would be interested to learn more about the places you have been. I am glad that you always found the positive side of moving, that is a great outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly the feeling when you get into a completely different culture. I came to the Ohio State alone last year from China, and it was really a tough time when I first got there cuz everything is so different, especially the language, but I went through, and I think it's pretty fun to get to know different culture, different people and different things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Colleen, I think it is awesome how positive you have stayed about moving so much. I can't imagine how hard it must be to move around like that, being from the same town my whole life, but I really respect you for how you have handled the situation.
ReplyDeleteevery one who left home to another country or city might has this feeling. for me, it could be even worse, I miss my friends and family, and culture difference effects me a lot. However, the one thing I feel comfortable is I can make new friends from different culture.
ReplyDeleteI really admire how strong of a person you are. moving that many times is tough. I also moved around a lot. It's hard saying goodbye to a life you knew so well and stepping into a new one. But it seems like you've done a great job at it !
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting to me, to hear about how hard it must have been to move around so often. I couldn't imagine how hard that must have been. Just as Colleen said, I myself have never had to move to a new home, the farthest i've ever moved is from my home in cincinnati to hear at OSU. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be taken out of the comfort of your home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your excellent post, Daniella. My husband moved every two years and also hated moving to NJ the most. He said as soon as he felt adjusted in a place, it was time to leave. He was committed to giving our kids a neighborhood and life that wasn't transient. (We've been in the same house since 1998, when our first child was one.) But will my kids learn to adapt to new places, as you have? Is having a non-changing comfort zone location always a good thing?
ReplyDeleteI love your impressive experience. It’s really hard for me to move from one place to another place before. When I just arrived to the U.S, everything seemed so strange and unfamiliar for me. I couldn’t find any sense of belonging. It took me a really long time to adapt to the new life here. Finally I realize that it’s an unforgettable experience to study abroad so that I have opportunity to make so many friends and get to know different cultures.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the hardest part about moving to New York?
ReplyDeleteJustin, I think it was that I was 13 and those years are usually awkward and hard for everyone. I had just started to feel comfortable in Cleveland, and NY/Long Island was overwhelming with it being so busy compared to Ohio. Also, if you ever spend a longer period of time in NY, you'll realize how different they are from people in the midwest.
ReplyDeleteI think its awesome that even though you moved so many times, you didn't let those places dictate who you are. As someone who has been out of state only a handful of times, it is exciting to see so many well traveled people in this class.
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