Hey peepz,
So, I returned back from a 2 week trip to India about three to four weeks ago, but have only now made it to the point in my blog where I can logically write about it. But before I do, a preface:
Since moving to Malaysia, I've been asked the question "Where are you from?" a lot. This was a really fun game to play while I went to school at McGill University because I'd always get an answer that went something like this:
"Well, I was born in France but then I moved to Australia and went to school there but I'm half Japanese and then I decided to come to Montreal for university and now I'm here" (fyi, that's a real description of someone that I know). So, I, in comparison, felt like my story was pretty boring when my answer to that question was "Well, I was born in Toronto and I lived in Toronto all my life, and then I moved to Montreal for university".
It was pretty lame but there was never any confusion or strangeness surrounding the fact that I am an Indian who was not born in India, nor has ever lived in India. It was pretty clear and straightforward that I am culturally and genetically India, but like many immigrant families, I was born and brought up in the land of the Moose, beavers, hockey, and winter. But, for some reason that is unknown to me, my acquaintances in Malaysia really struggle to understand the concept of immigration.
I have a few funny stories about the conversations on this topic. For example, someone once asked me how my family was in India and I told them that my family is in Canada. So they asked me if I was born in India and then moved to Canada. Of course, I said no. Then they asked me if my parents were from India. Again, I said no - they were from Singapore and Hong Kong. That brought about much confusion so I put the person out of their misery and told them that all my grandparents were born in India, making me Indian. And their response?
