Where do you come from?

I imagine kids like ours will have to give a long answer to that simple question.

Currently Jo has two passports (French and Indonesian), Lou holds three (French, Indonesian and American).

Jo was born in the Netherlands. Lou in the US.

Both have never lived in Indonesia or France.

Their father is French who is a quarter African (grandpa is a half-African French, grandma comes from Alsace)

Mother is Indonesian, mixed with chinese blood (from both grandpa and grandma sides).

Both father and mother grew-up outside their passport countries.

Jo and Lou themselves have been living in many cultures and different countries throughout their young lives.

They might feel they are a bit of everything. Or none of those.



Because three languages are active at home

Because kids eat French cheese brought by the father and Indonesian food prepared by mother

They also regularly visit their extended families in France and Indonesia

And experience Dutch, American, German and Australian cultures from the country they (used to) live in

They never know what it means to live in a 'single'

As they are  'multi', 'mixed', 'tainted', 'not pure'



Later in life, Jo and Lou might find it bizarre when hearing someone claims that his/her culture is the best

They may think an ethnic group or race is neither better or worse than the other

They probably will argue fiercely that every language is equally difficult and easy

Most likely they will also consider that no religion is good or bad

I imagine they are going to follow the footsteps of their parents to continue living globally

So they can attach and detach themselves from those 'singles'

As they are 'either', 'neither', 'everything', 'nothing'



In the end, kids like ours  might never be able to answer 'where do you come from?' in one sentence.



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Inspired by Biking in Heels: You're So Brown and This Indonesian: Natural Discrimination