It Takes All Kinds
Nicole Sarhan
Pursassive Essay
Writing Sample.
5/4/15
I’m having a hard time with this topic. I hate lumping people into groups. I understand that it is human nature for us to do this; a way of keeping things sorted in our brains. But to me, it’s offensive. I grew up not knowing exactly how to classify myself. My father is Arab, my mother a German. The two of them met and created me, along with my five brothers and sisters. I didn’t fit in on dad’s side, and certainly didn’t fit in on moms. I am the product of two people who refused to acknowledge color, class, or ethnicity. My parent’s choices taught me not to lump people together. To instead get to know people for whom they are, not who you think they should …show more content…
Multiple people all speaking to you in Arabic at the same time and trying to understand even a word. My cousins were so close because their mothers were sisters. They had inside jokes, took trips together, went to church. I longed for a relationship with them, but never felt comfortable enough to try. The Arabic girls I knew outside of my family were not kind. They called me a “white girl” “Chaldean wannabe” and my favorite “half-breed”. I still get strange looks when people find out who I’m related to. It would be no different from my mother’s parents house. My grandmother had very long blond hair and very pale skin. She disliked taking me or siblings anywhere because “we didn’t share the same look”. She would tell my mother that she feared people would accuse her of kidnapping because we looked so different. We were only ever allowed at the Detroit Athletic Club with her in the winter, so our olive skin wasn’t so apparent. I knew from an early age that she didn’t feel the same about me as she did my cousins. I know that English wasn’t her first language and that German people are thought of as “harsh”, but grandmother took it to a whole different level. She constantly compared me to my cousin Jessica. We were eight months apart, and completely different. Grandmother spoke highly of Jessica’s bright blue eyes and blonde hair, and would complain about my thick eyebrows and curly hair. I …show more content…
The most important one of all was to accept and not to put people into imaginary groups. My mother and father are two very successful people. Both graduated from The University of Michigan and went on to raise six children and be the proud grandparents of two bright peanuts. They are hard working, generous, accepting and loyal. I’m grateful that my parents choose to see love instead of color, class, or ethnicity. Today, I have an excellent relationship with my grandparents. I do not fault them for the way they treated me when I was young, and I know that they feel horrible to have missed many of my life events. I owe my ability to forgive to parents. My parents taught me how to accept and love, and not to
Nicole Sarhan
Pursassive Essay
Writing Sample.
5/4/15
I’m having a hard time with this topic. I hate lumping people into groups. I understand that it is human nature for us to do this; a way of keeping things sorted in our brains. But to me, it’s offensive. I grew up not knowing exactly how to classify myself. My father is Arab, my mother a German. The two of them met and created me, along with my five brothers and sisters. I didn’t fit in on dad’s side, and certainly didn’t fit in on moms. I am the product of two people who refused to acknowledge color, class, or ethnicity. My parent’s choices taught me not to lump people together. To instead get to know people for whom they are, not who you think they should …show more content…
Multiple people all speaking to you in Arabic at the same time and trying to understand even a word. My cousins were so close because their mothers were sisters. They had inside jokes, took trips together, went to church. I longed for a relationship with them, but never felt comfortable enough to try. The Arabic girls I knew outside of my family were not kind. They called me a “white girl” “Chaldean wannabe” and my favorite “half-breed”. I still get strange looks when people find out who I’m related to. It would be no different from my mother’s parents house. My grandmother had very long blond hair and very pale skin. She disliked taking me or siblings anywhere because “we didn’t share the same look”. She would tell my mother that she feared people would accuse her of kidnapping because we looked so different. We were only ever allowed at the Detroit Athletic Club with her in the winter, so our olive skin wasn’t so apparent. I knew from an early age that she didn’t feel the same about me as she did my cousins. I know that English wasn’t her first language and that German people are thought of as “harsh”, but grandmother took it to a whole different level. She constantly compared me to my cousin Jessica. We were eight months apart, and completely different. Grandmother spoke highly of Jessica’s bright blue eyes and blonde hair, and would complain about my thick eyebrows and curly hair. I …show more content…
The most important one of all was to accept and not to put people into imaginary groups. My mother and father are two very successful people. Both graduated from The University of Michigan and went on to raise six children and be the proud grandparents of two bright peanuts. They are hard working, generous, accepting and loyal. I’m grateful that my parents choose to see love instead of color, class, or ethnicity. Today, I have an excellent relationship with my grandparents. I do not fault them for the way they treated me when I was young, and I know that they feel horrible to have missed many of my life events. I owe my ability to forgive to parents. My parents taught me how to accept and love, and not to