I get asked where I'm from on a day to day basis. Most people who ask assume that I'm Indian, or from a Middle Eastern country, however they couldn't be farther from the reality of my heritage. I was born in the United States in the Southern state of Virginia. Although I am American by birth, I have a rich cultural background, that is derived from the many corners of the earth. Although the exact date is unknown, my family assumes that my father's paternal great-great-great-grandfather came to the United States through the Transatlantic slave trade from Western Africa in the 1700s. Luckily, they were one of the few people to live through the grim voyage from Africa. After many years, my father's paternal great-great-great grandparent fell
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She was born in Afghanistan to an Afghan mother and a father who was of Egyptian descent. Little is known about my mother's family, but we do know that my maternal grandmother's family is Pashtun, which is one of the many Afghan tribes that have had a large influence on Afghan culture. Alongside her Afghan and Egyptian heritage, there has been far Eastern European roots on my maternal grandmother as well. Although unsure, we believe that the “missing piece” to my mother’s full heritage is either Uzbek or Greek. Religiously, my father's side has always been Christian (Protestant to be exact), while my mother's side has been Muslim for as long as the family goes back. I have found, since I travel so much that I look like a local in almost every country that I have been to. When we visit a Spanish-speaking country, we are often mistaken for locals, by other tourists. Another example would be when we travel to the Middle East, there are quite a lot of people who approach us, and try to converse in Arabic. On my mother's side, she speaks fluent Farsi, which is the language of Afghanistan. Being raised by an American father and an Afghan mother, I can speak both English and Farsi. On my father's side, only the older generation speaks the languages of their family, however most of them have passed on. At full family reunions, there can be so many different languages heard, and I feel that since my family is so diverse, that has helped
She was born in Afghanistan to an Afghan mother and a father who was of Egyptian descent. Little is known about my mother's family, but we do know that my maternal grandmother's family is Pashtun, which is one of the many Afghan tribes that have had a large influence on Afghan culture. Alongside her Afghan and Egyptian heritage, there has been far Eastern European roots on my maternal grandmother as well. Although unsure, we believe that the “missing piece” to my mother’s full heritage is either Uzbek or Greek. Religiously, my father's side has always been Christian (Protestant to be exact), while my mother's side has been Muslim for as long as the family goes back. I have found, since I travel so much that I look like a local in almost every country that I have been to. When we visit a Spanish-speaking country, we are often mistaken for locals, by other tourists. Another example would be when we travel to the Middle East, there are quite a lot of people who approach us, and try to converse in Arabic. On my mother's side, she speaks fluent Farsi, which is the language of Afghanistan. Being raised by an American father and an Afghan mother, I can speak both English and Farsi. On my father's side, only the older generation speaks the languages of their family, however most of them have passed on. At full family reunions, there can be so many different languages heard, and I feel that since my family is so diverse, that has helped