Who am I?
I stepped into the gym class full of women. All the men including my husband were at another gym just a block away. I stood quietly on the sidelines watching the ladies chatting away or lounging on the wooden boxes looking at their phones waiting for the class to start. Despite my 27 years, I still felt like a shy little girl unsure what to say or how to interact. The familiar confusion and anxiety washed over me as I struggled within myself. These lovely Arab women would be happy to hear me try out my Arabic with them. They would be pleasantly surprised to hear me speaking in their language and familiar with their ways. Likewise, I could pull the American card and introduce myself in English. Some people found that more attractive as they wanted to practice their language. But which was the right response? Which was me? That question rings deeply within each one of us - who am I? What is at the very core of myself that cannot be stripped away? I am one of the people who has...