It was always a struggle for me to deeply connect with any one particular culture or way of life. I was born to a Japanese mother and an American father and spent my childhood in Japan, Singapore, France, and the US. Fitting in as a child, particularly in those tumultuous teenage years, was an impossible task because I always found it hard to truly connect with anybody. I had become such a hybrid of all those cultures that I never felt like anybody really “got me” to the core – if that makes any sense. That feeling led to many friendships and relationships ending badly, where either I felt betrayed or people felt betrayed by me.

To make things worse, I was never considered Japanese by the Japanese because I didn’t look or behave fully Japanese, nor was I considered American in the US due to my Asian features. It didn’t help that where I spent my childhood in the US didn’t have a large Asian population at the time. I mean, who doesn’t struggle with identity crisis in our late childhood but none of these things helped my cause!

Not until well into my adulthood did I realize that being this mishmash of cultures is actually a gift. I’ve since learned to embrace it and began to brand this as “a hybrid life”. I live a hybrid life, one that consists of customs, beliefs, and habits picked up from all the places I’ve lived and stayed. It has given me a unique perspective of life which in turn has blessed me with the ability to understand and appreciate the differences in people, cultures, and customs. It has given me the ability to approach relationships with little judgement.

To add to my hybrid-ness, I married someone from India with whom I have three wonderful sons. I’m sure my sons will go on to have similar questions about their identities but I’d like to think I’m somewhat equipped to help them through the process!

We are currently living in Bangalore, India and as challenging as this transition has been, I know that the years we spend here will turn me into an even more mishmashed hybrid of a person. So I welcome you to A Hybrid Life and I hope you enjoy reading my blog about a mishmash of topics!