Double
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We traveled to the U.S to visit family during long breaks, but went to school in Haiti. As a child, I never thought of myself as American, or Haitian. I was simply there, existing.
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It wasn't until I turned seven, that I found out my birth certificate said "New York." Having just returned from Disney World that summer, I thought it was the coolest thing; I am American.
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I went and shared my excitement with my classmates... From there on, my double-existence became taxing as it pleased. I was dubbed "l'Americaine" (The American), and it bothered me to no end because, suddenly, I was different...
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Yet, when I went to the U.S, I was Haitian. Growing up, this second layer to my identity threw me for a loop. I could not agree with society's standard thought of "national identity" as a singular state of mind. "Am I American? Am I Haitian? Which check box do I fill in? What's my category?" It seemed to change by country. So I dismissed both claims and accepted them as one.
As I reminisced on memories,
it came to mind
whether or not
I had been
an isolated case.
it came to mind
whether or not
I had been
an isolated case.
Based on my interviewees,
I suppose it isn't so.
I suppose it isn't so.