Why I Identify as a Local Citizen

Growing up in a small midwestern town, I have always felt so closed off to the world and other cultures. As a child of Indian immigrants being raised in a predominantly white town, I struggled with figuring out who I was and where I belonged. I believe a strong part of human nature is wanting to fit in and belong, no matter where you are. Everything from the way my parents raised me to my daily dinners were vastly different from everyone I knew. For a long amount of time I was unsure of how much of my culture I should reveal to others, worrying that people would see me as an outsider. But today, I am proud of my background and culture, and would identify as a local citizen, more specifically an Indian American citizen.

Because of my experience living in a very ‘bubble-like’ community, I believe it is important to work towards becoming a global citizen, that way everyone can be more aware and more united.In my eyes, global citizenship is the idea that involves looking past one’s ethnic or religious barriers and emphasizes the concept that each person has civic duties that they should work on in order to better the world as a whole. Although I feel as if global citizenship is a concept that reaps many benefits, I don’t quite believe that I identify with that term just yet. I believe that my ethnic background plays a large role in my childhood and that my culture is still a large part of who I am today. From hearing my parents speaking Hindi everyday to partaking in cultural traditions annually, I feel very comfortable in my own skin and with my own culture. I feel as though my culture and my background bring me a sense of feeling at home or a sense of belonging, something that I had yearned for years living in my small town. Although I would like to work towards becoming a global citizen, I feel as though I most identify with being an Indian American citizen.