Moving to My Parents’ Homeland Helped Me Find Belonging

[Deeq A.]

Growing up, I never thought that moving through continents and road-tripping across borders were out of the norm. I chalked it up to being a descendant of nomads and seamen but realistically, it’s probably because it was all I ever knew. In my first passport photo, I didn’t have the motor skills to hold myself up so pillows were placed like a fort around me. By the time I was 18, I had lived in five countries across three continents and spoke four languages. But it wasn’t until I moved to university in the U.K. that I discovered how this had shaped me. I could be a chameleon wherever I went, connect with people easily, and have deep empathy and understanding of different cultures. Yet the one thing I didn’t have was an understanding of was my own origin.

Source: Hiiraan Online