I come from just these sort of circumstances: a patriarchal family and a sense of tribal belonging, rather than individual identity. It really took me a lot to figure out what this meant, as I had no idea my upbringing was so different from everybody else’s.
Of course, the adjustment from one state of being to another is never complete and never, ever simple.
The first time I encountered modernity was on the plane from Africa to Australia, in the process of migrating there with my family, when I was 15.
The hostess asked me if I wanted a kid’s colouring-in book. I thought she should have been able to tell, just by looking at me, that I was too old for such a book. So, I was reluctant to answer her, but waited for her to justify why such a book was appropriate for someone of my age. I said, tentatively, “Should I..?” and she was like, “Well it’s totally up to you. You have the right to have one, if that’s what you want.”
She seemed quite irritated and that confused me further.
I really didn’t understand this “make a choice, make a choice” fetish people in Australia had.
Of course, the adjustment from one state of being to another is never complete and never, ever simple.
The first time I encountered modernity was on the plane from Africa to Australia, in the process of migrating there with my family, when I was 15.
The hostess asked me if I wanted a kid’s colouring-in book. I thought she should have been able to tell, just by looking at me, that I was too old for such a book. So, I was reluctant to answer her, but waited for her to justify why such a book was appropriate for someone of my age. I said, tentatively, “Should I..?” and she was like, “Well it’s totally up to you. You have the right to have one, if that’s what you want.”
She seemed quite irritated and that confused me further.
I really didn’t understand this “make a choice, make a choice” fetish people in Australia had.
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