Where I am from...

“Where are you from?” is a question I get asked frequently by my readers. It may seem an easy question to answer for many but for me, it is complicated. See, most people have a single option but on the other hand, I have two possible answers and I am almost never sure which one to pick. A or B?

I was born in Cairo, Egypt. I lived as an Egyptian. I grew up Egyptian. I was full on Egyptian until I was about 18 years and 6 months old. Until the day in December 2011 when I moved to Canada with my family. Until June 2018 when I was granted my Canadian Citizenship. Being an immigrant, being a dual citizen can be a struggle as much as it is a blessing.

I remember the first time I went back home for a visit. I was extremely excited to be home after a little bit over 2 years. I remember saying the word “complicated” in the midst of an Arabic sentence. It was hard to miss. A friend commented and said, “oh wow you have turned into a Canadian”. 10 days later, I returned to Canada and once again I was the Egyptian immigrant. That moment I realized that I no longer belong to one place. I no longer have one home. I belong to two places. I have two places I call home. I go to Egypt-my first home- and they tell me I have changed and have become Canadian. I go to Canada my second home and I am the newly granted citizen who is also Egyptian, who did not grow up in Canada, whose first language is not English.

In Egypt, I am not an Egyptian whilst in Canada I am not a Canadian.

However, having a dual nationality has its perks. Not only do you have two homes, but you also have two languages, two backgrounds. You have two worlds. As a consequence of having everything in two, I have learned to adapt to my surroundings. Learning new information, being taught new ways are no longer a challenge. When you go back and forth between two different completely different countries in two different continents, you force yourself to learn the customs of both.

I have this theory that I have multiple personalities. It is not so bad to be a disorder. In Canada if I am sitting with a group of friends I behave, speak and act a certain way. My voice tone is at a certain level, my laugh, my smile, my gestures are completely different compared to if you see me sitting with my 100% Egyptian friends back in Egypt. One thing is common, - when it is a big group- I never feel I am able to fit in 100%. In Canada, I don’t get all the jokes, I don’t get some terms, I create boundaries because of my Egyptian background. In Egypt, I don’t get all the jokes, I don’t get some terms, I feel left out since I have not been in that setting in years.

With different backgrounds, comes different cultures. Living in two different countries with different languages, different traditions and different ways of living can affect your traditions, values and principles. Some cultural differences are understandable, but others may have a question mark next to them when explained to others. You build boundaries, your personality changes, adapting to different situations or circumstances is no longer a problem as it might have been one day.

You’d think after 9 years in Canada with the occasional challenges I would have had it all figured out. I get to learn new things, I get to experience new things, I get to use both of my languages on a daily basis. The only thing I still have not found the perfect answer to is the question: “Where are you from?” Am I Egyptian? Am I Canadian? Am I both? I think it is safe to say- I am a little bit of both. Two worlds, one me.

Sandra Sobhy

February 5, 2021