I am truly myself when I am at peace. These moments of inner peace occur when I am in the following situations; with my family, communing with nature, and wearing traditional Indian clothes. Humbleness accompanies a sense of relief and a strange calmness that spreads throughout my body in these situations. When I begin to involuntary smile is when I know I am my true self. My family defines me in ways I cannot fully comprehend. My parents are my lifelong mentors and my siblings were my first best friends. When I am on my own and away from home, I feel almost myself. Recently, I ventured to Santiago de Chile without my family. I did some major soul—searching and found the experience refreshing. However, something strange occurred when
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I possess the etiquette and social notions of my English mother, the adventurous and nonchalant attitude of my South African father, the diet of a non-traditional Indian Hindu born in the American Midwest and an American deep southern twang. I live my life so remarkably immersed in the American culture that I forget about my other backgrounds. However, there are a few times throughout the year when I remember that I am a child of India too. These happen when I return to college and forget how much I miss Indian food and when I wear a sari or any other traditional Indian outfit. The sight of myself dressed in a sari in my bedroom filled with American paraphernalia proves another humbling experience. It takes me down from my American high and reminds me how I live an unbalanced life by repressing my Indian culture. My unconsciously, restless inner-self finds peace knowing that I may put my guard down. I am not constantly expressing one culture over another. At that moment, I remain my true multifaceted self. I reveal my true self when amidst my family, when I am one with nature, and when I strike a balance in my multicultural life. However much I believe that these are the only situations when I can be genuinely me, I know I can decide any time and place to let those around me know who I honestly am. I regularly elect not to, out of fear of judgment and personal insecurity. Although I do not want to grapple with these fears, I also do not want to keep lying to myself and others. I need to gather the courage to be my true self at all times or I will not ever be truly at
I possess the etiquette and social notions of my English mother, the adventurous and nonchalant attitude of my South African father, the diet of a non-traditional Indian Hindu born in the American Midwest and an American deep southern twang. I live my life so remarkably immersed in the American culture that I forget about my other backgrounds. However, there are a few times throughout the year when I remember that I am a child of India too. These happen when I return to college and forget how much I miss Indian food and when I wear a sari or any other traditional Indian outfit. The sight of myself dressed in a sari in my bedroom filled with American paraphernalia proves another humbling experience. It takes me down from my American high and reminds me how I live an unbalanced life by repressing my Indian culture. My unconsciously, restless inner-self finds peace knowing that I may put my guard down. I am not constantly expressing one culture over another. At that moment, I remain my true multifaceted self. I reveal my true self when amidst my family, when I am one with nature, and when I strike a balance in my multicultural life. However much I believe that these are the only situations when I can be genuinely me, I know I can decide any time and place to let those around me know who I honestly am. I regularly elect not to, out of fear of judgment and personal insecurity. Although I do not want to grapple with these fears, I also do not want to keep lying to myself and others. I need to gather the courage to be my true self at all times or I will not ever be truly at