We won a gold! Which We?

The Olympics are over for another four years.  Yesterday the Australian welcome home parade was held through the streets of Sydney.  Green and gild confetti fell and cheering crowds lined the streets.

It was great to watch the heroes we had cheered for via the TV come to life.  But some of the heroes I had cheered for weren’t there.  It was brought home to me clearly one night when I was greeted on arriving home with “We got another gold medal!”  “Great!” was my instant response, followed quickly by,  “Which we?”  In our house we weren’t just cheering for Australia we were also cheering for New Zealand and, as the country many Aussies view as the little brother did well we cheered for them with great pride. 

  I wondered how many people held multiple allegiances, how many people were looking out for the heroes who may have never made it to the TV screens in the countries they live.   I wondered how people felt who heard their national anthem for the first time in years and felt pride in the country that is part of their identity.

Identity can be a tricky thing.  An accepted definition states  “identity is the sum of the distinguishing personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.”  When we look at cultural identity those characteristics can include aspects such as food, language, music, religious beliefs, social behavior, and so much more.  For us as a family, much of what is our cultural identity is shared between our various passport countries so we don’t often receive the challenges to identity that form a standard part of everyday life for many people.

Often the research into bi-culturalism has looked from a deficit model looking at issues of stress and conflict between the cultural identities, instability of bi-cultural relationships, increased anxiety levels in bi-cultural teenagers, the complexities in adjustment into a new culture and visibility within that culture.  Questions of ‘who am I?’ and ‘where do I belong?’ can be stumbling blocks for many especially as they grow through their teenage years.

But not all is negative. Research continues to show that many people who are raised in bi-cultural families or live in bi-cultural situations can also experience great gains.  Increased understanding for others, a greater sense of being able to fit in and adapt, an awareness of international issues and openness to people differences are often cited as some of the benefits.  And we haven’t even touched on the multiple benefits of being bilingual!

In our house who we are becomes clearer now as the rugby championship begins and there is really only one team to cheer for.....