I found this quiz from Cup of Joe.
He is also a Smart American.
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You Are a Smart American |
 You know a lot about US history, and you’re opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be. |
This morning, I read the May issue of Vogue while Daisy was eating her breakfast.
A beautiful essay by Diana Abu-Jaber resonated with me: “The Royal We”. She wrote about growing up hyphenated. Her father pushed for her Jordanian identity while she struggled to include being American into her sense of self. Then she met Queen Noor. Her Majesty found her in the baggage claim after the author gave the Queen a copy of her book. That meeting helped Abu-Jaber claim both cultures as her own.
After a lifetime of being my father’s daughter, after 20 years of defining myself as an Arab-American writer, I began writing Origin, a different sort of book – an American one. By setting aside culture identity in my psychological thriller, I was reclaiming both my countries, all my selves.
It’s never one or the other for folks who grow-up hyphenated in America. I’ve pushed for balance in my own life. It was a bumpy 29 years, but eventually, I learned how to cherish both my Filipino and American identities. I’ve also learned to ignore cultural expectations from others and follow my own path. That’s stopped me from going crazy.
This is a good thing. I’ve also grown more tolerant of ignorant and racially-biased questions. From strangers wondering how my family accepted a white man as my husband to others wondering if I knew how to celebrate Thanksgiving (because that holiday doesn’t exists in my parents’ homeland or something.) I’ve had to bite my tongue hard from spewing something mean and realize they’re not being cruel in return.
I found a way to answer those questions with respect and without callousness. I tell myself to take this opportunity to educate them. I’ve learned tolerance goes both ways.