By Tasfia Rashid
Growing up in a Bangladeshi household, I learned to communicate in four languages, English, Bangla, Hindi, and Urdu. I watched Bollywood movies with my family and sang songs in Hindi with an Indian classical music teacher. I didn’t learn about American pop culture songs until middle school, and I didn’t know how left out I’d feel once I got there. At school dances, I would stand awkwardly and feel left out as my friends would be on the dance floor. I realized that growing up both South Asian and American meant I’d had to intertwine two completely different cultures into one identity. I didn’t have to choose one or the other, but I had to do twice the amount of work to feel connected to both my family and to my friends, but also myself. My passion for music is what made this easier for me throughout the years. I started off learning songs from my culture and performing them at big festivals, such as the Boishaki Mela (start of the Bengali new year). I started taking singing classes with an American music director and joined choir in high school, which introduced me to more mainstream music that I learned to connect with my peers. Being from a different background rather than the social norm in America can be very overwhelming, and sometimes I still feel like my true identity is overlooked. However, every person’s identity is unique and there’s always a journey to find who you truly are, and I was able to assimilate my two cultures together through the power of music. It may be true that no one can truly know how you are, as they may be a little more American, or they might feel a closer connection to their ethnic culture. Having these differences doesn’t stop us from coming together and forming friendships and bonds, since bonds are made by sharing and embracing each others’ differences and making memories with one another. Some of my closest friends today are from so many diverse backgrounds, and I’ve enjoyed learning about who they are, and they kindly embrace my identity too. Don’t worry about how you fit in somewhere, be proud of what you have to bring, and start making memories with the people around you!