part of two cultures. All of my family was born in Sri Lanka so I am not a part
of several different nationalities, such as Greek, Italian, German, and others.
My cousins, my siblings, and I are the only ones born out of Sri Lanka.
Speaking a language at home and speaking another language in school can get
confusing. This is because sometimes I have trouble expressing my thoughts in
English because they can only be said in the other language I speak. I have
trouble getting me thoughts out in English at times, and this has been difficult.
I have also used the two languages together when speaking. At home I speak
both English and Tamil but I mostly speak Tamil. I am also trying to learn
another north Indian language, Hindi. Many of my friends from India speak
this language so I feel it is important to learn this language.
Sometimes my culture does make me feel left out from others because I feel
too different. I am more close to my culture in Sri Lanka than I am here in the
U.S. I do not listen to English music as much as I do listen to Indian music.
This has been difficult cause I feel very separated from my friends when I do
not know who or for example what song they are talking about. I feel like I
have to confirm with others for them to accept me and my family. Some
people may view us in a negative way which concerns me a lot. This forces me
to feel the need that I have to be more kind, polite, and responsible. I have felt
stuck between the two cultures at times. I try not to think of two cultures as a
setback, but as an advantage of being able to participate in different
celebrations and be a part of my American and Indian friends.
Brazilian Experience