When I meet new people, one of the first things I’m asked is where I’m from. It’s a simple enough question and I think most people can give a straight-forward answer. However, because I have so many places to call home, I don’t necessarily have one simple answer. So here’s my story:
I was born in the parish of St. James on the beautiful island of Jamaica. Both my parents and most of my relatives are Jamaican, so one would say the easy answer is that I, too, am a Jamaican. Well, when I was about 3 years old my parents relocated the family to the very exotic Turks & Caicos Islands, which is a group of islands in the Caribbean located near The Bahamas.
I grew up in the Turks & Caicos Islands and lived there until about the age of 20. I went to school there, my parents built a house there, I made friends there; it was home. So now you might be saying I’m a Turks Islander and you wouldn’t be wrong necessarily. But how do you explain that feeling I get whenever I visit my birth country for summer vacations when I’m surrounded by my extended family, people who share the same culture and traditions that my parents shared with me? Why does it feel like I’ve returned home, even if I’m there for just a few weeks or months?
Because the Turks & Caicos is such a small country with very limited opportunities for someone aspiring to be a scientist/author, I relocated to the United Kingdom to pursue higher education and start a new life. Now I have another country to call home.
With regard to my writing, my varied experiences of living in 3 distinctly different countries have allowed me to bring interesting perspectives to my writing. My current novel is set in two fictional island countries in the Caribbean and to an extent illustrates some of my childhood experiences.
As you can see, asking me where I’m from is a fairly loaded question but hopefully, you’ve learned a little bit more about me.
Do you have a similar story? Do you cringe when people ask you where you’re from because you know you’ll have to explain? Or do you live where you were born, in a country that can be easily found on a map? Please feel free to share it in the comments section below.