Shrimp, Grits, and Grape Leaves

Ethnic, racially ambiguous, and mysterious. I've been called these things throughout my life. 

Growing up near cornfields in the Bible Belt as a first-generation Egyptian American, I became accustomed to the smell of shrimp and grits wafting through the air and the feel of the countryside. My exposure to diversity was subtle, mainly limited to my white neighbors, teachers, friends, and the media I consumed.

I checked "Other" in the U.S. Census forms in a community where I felt like an outlier. Sometimes, I had no option. According to the U.S. Census, being of Middle Eastern/North African descent is classified as 'White,' a notion that makes me think twice.

Among my white peers, I stood out like a sore thumb. I'd ask my father for a PB&J sandwich instead of Warak Anab – stuffed grape leaves – just to fit in. Whenever I brought food from home, my middle school classmates would peer at my lunch and call it weird, unaware it was anything but.

Going overseas during the summer and spending time by the Nile was my escape. I gained a deeper understanding of my upbringing and came to appreciate the unconditional love of family, which made me less self-conscious. I noticed that my relatives and I shared similarities in our mannerisms, humor, and expressions, extending beyond geographical boundaries. 

Living in the South as a minority has come with internal struggles that require navigating. As a brown-skinned woman, I'm sometimes mistaken for a clerk or driver simply by standing beside a parked car or while grocery shopping. This invisibility gave me reason to question my place in the world. Such occurrences ate away at me, adding to the complexity. 

However, I am a product of two cultures united as one. The smell of home-cooked Egyptian dishes, the lively holidays filled with song and dance, and the seamless shift between English and Arabic have made my world all the more colorful. 

All this to say - I embrace the vibrant mosaic of my heritage. My background is not a barrier. Living in a society where people try to put you into a particular box, I want to encourage others, like I have encouraged myself, to make their own place in this world.