My cousins, once they finished high school, ended up marrying their high school sweetheart. One cousin even dropped out of high school when she was 14 and got married to a guy that was 24. She immediately became pregnant, and became a housewife, which is the fate for majority of Bosnian girls. I am baffled by this concept; my culture has taught me to not have pre-marital sex, but a minor having sex is acceptable. I have been taught that I cannot have sex for pleasure, but only to procreate. I am told that it is the husband’s decision on when sex will happen, and that a woman can only have one sexual partner her entire life. These ideas do not sit well with me; a woman has her own sexual desires that need to be …show more content…
In the US, I am comfortable discussing and advocating for LBGTQ rights, whereas in Bosnia, judgmental comments are made and stares are given if I so much as mention the word “gay”. As I grew up in Atlanta, I became comfortable wearing my shorts and tank tops in the humid, hot days, whereas when I spent my summers in Bosnia, I was always told to wear jeans and a t-shirt because I shouldn’t show so much skin. Living in America but being taught through Bosnian culture has definitely caused many conflicting situations. I am constantly playing an internal game of tug of war when faced with decisions. Do I listen to what my parents have taught me or do I listen to what I am learning from my new American