Re: Perception of identity changed when I visited Pakistan.
EXACTLY!!! My parents came to the US in 1972…they lived here longer than they had their respective home countries (india & pakistan). I’m first generation born and raised here, and now my kids are starting the second generation. I don’t consider them to be Indian or Pakistani. They’ve never stepped foot on the soil, so how can they be called Pakistani? Our nationality is American…that has no baring on our heritage though. We speak Urdu at home, my kids go to the masjid for sunday school every week from 10-2, and have quran class three times a week after school… I cook desi khaanaa, we watch all the Indian movies and Pak dramas, etc…at the same time, they are your typical, all american boys…we are fiercely into NFL & NBA (Cowboys & Mavs..woohoo!!!), Celebrate Thanksgiving with gusto, and the typical “american menu”, we go trick or treating on halloween…I don’t understand the need to put a desi label/stamp on everything. We are Muslim first and formost…then American, then a shared Indian/Pakistani lineage.