On the Outskirts

On the Outskirts

By Ibtihal Ahmed

I somewhat reside between two worlds which are polar opposites. They carry a fusion of labels; nameless ones. One is enchanting and loves boastful analogies, and the other is bashful and on the verge of timidity. I am to be found in the lost-and-found bin of recovered identities, yet nowhere to be found in a world full of labels. Perhaps we dive in cultural references so deeply that we forget that some of us reside on the outskirts of words.

Crossing oceans was quite the experience—I hid every piece of my being underneath the promising tide lines. I was here and there, but neither here nor there. I was fascinated with new arrival signs the same way departure tunnels propelled me with the exhilaration of makebelieve presence. I have always been excited to leave and arrive at the same time. It’s like my identity was tied to in-betweenness or undefined borders, the kind of fog that surrounded my soul when asked where I was from.

I am proud to say that the lost-and-found bin has found a home, a home in the slippery slopes of a fragmented label, too foreign to be pronounced, yet too pronounced to be glossed over. This is the beauty of arriving while leaving, and leaving while landing far away from the oceans I left behind.

Ibtihal Ahmed is a Sudanese American and TCK who is based in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area. She aims to unveil her experiences as a TCK through her unpublished written project, Conversations. Ibtihal has a bachelor’s degree in developmental psychology and communications. She holds a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution and speaks three languages.

https://themuslimvibe.com/western-muslim-culture/ahome-beyond-cultures-being-a-third-culture-kid