Growing up, I always knew I was different. As a Bangladeshi citizen who was born in Indonesia, I was atypical. As someone who attended the same international school for 11 years—where international schools are notorious for the amount of year to year turnover they see in their student bodies—I wasn’t /normal/. In many ways, that was the point of going to an international school. Everyone was different, yet differences were celebrated and diversity enriched both the learning and life experiences I had as a child.
Despite this, I rejected the idea that I was South Asian. Throughout my childhood I wanted to rid myself of my Bangladeshi identity. I had never lived there and I didn’t identify with many of the things that made someone ‘Bangladeshi.’ I don’t have an accent, I act ‘westernised,’ and I have very few coethnic friends.
I came to McGill because, among other things, I wanted to go to an internationally renowned university with a diverse student body. Looking back on my decision to come here, I feel as though I wanted to recreate my experiences that I had while going to an international school. Each undergraduate student that attends McGill comes in with a certain degree of naiveté. I was no different.