IMMIGRANT PARADOX RIDA CHAUDHRY ATION NT PARADOX FIRST RATION ANT PARADOX

far too small for my size.

I allowed others to dictate my state of being – my insecurities forced my heart and ears open to those who didn’t care for me, thus superficially filling my desire for belonging.

The catch-22 of aging is the interests one pushes away when they’re young are the ones they come back to as they reconnect with themselves later in life. This rings truer than ever to my 21-year-old ears that yearn to hear the stories of those who came before me and seek to appreciate the beauty of the heritage I come from.

This is the paradox of the first generation immigrant child after all – a balancing act between two worlds that could not be more opposite from one another where if one were to tip too far either way, they risk falling completely.

From an upbringing in the greater Toronto area to a high school education in Texas has placed me in the hands of the Queen’s University atmosphere – one which, in the first two years of my undergrad, felt like there was little room to grow. I pushed myself to find communities within the campus of a predominately white institution where I felt welcomed and appreciated instead of pushed to the sidelines. Through curiosity and creation, I found others on campus who’s experiences may not have mirrored my own yet managed to level the understanding between us.

To learn from one’s cultural heritage and explore the stories of those who have both come before them and continue to live in the core of their homelands is a gift that ought not to be taken for granted. The rich art that derives from South Asia weaves together historical and contemporary experiences of it’s inhabitants - from the Gaj of the Sindh people to the words of comedic relief from the Aleph Review.