National Spirit

My spirit of nationalism is not something I had ever consciously thought about. Growing up in the eighties the issue of who I am in relation to the island I live in did not exist. That my friends spoke a different language at home and were of a different colour did not occur to me to be anything that made it necessary that we consciously work towards understanding each other. To me, I was no different from my classmates of other races.

We ate, played, hung out and even stayed over at each other's homes.  By virtue of being the only or one of a few in the cliques I was in, I even picked up a decent amount of my friends' language that I am able to understand and reply to basic conversation. However, nothing made me feel more unwelcome in my own land than when I entered the workforce, the real world. If I was accepted for my race, I was not accepted for my faith. Either way I never felt really accepted. I was always 'the other'.

On reflection, after more than a decade out of the education system, I believe the homogenous school environment creates a false construct that falls apart in the real world. We have all been literally dressed into our prescribed roles that we grew to believe as reality. After 9/11, the marginalisation grew even worse, with society scrutinizing our every move and fellow Muslims fervently apologetic for actions hardly of their doing. In the midst of all this, my country has been welcoming various nationalities to work and live here that I now not only have many native Chinese neighbours but a few from India, Myanmar and even Japan in my public housing .

Initially. I saw this as a further threat to the already marginal opportunities of my community. However, whether real or portrayed, I sense in my daily interactions, in the media and in the generally accepted school of thought that finally society has woken up to the need to be inclusive and not only tolerant of but to celebrate our differences. Five years from now, I would like to look back and honestly say that I, a native, feel that I am a part of this country. A sentiment, at least based on what is in the media, that immigrants already feel.