Connecting with her culture

When I came to Notre Dame, I think my pride in being Iraqi became more of a thing, which was funny because I think before then I wasn't really connected to the culture. I wasn't really interested or connected. I don't know if this has to do with not seeing people like me in the communities I grew up in like in the US or it just had to do with me you know, like not being interested or anything like that.

But then when I came to Notre Dame my roommate was, like I saw how prideful she was in being Mexican American and stuff like that. And I thought that was really cool and I think she would like ask me about Iraqi culture and heritage and stuff like that and yes, I would know the answers, but I think she’d ask me, oh, like are you excited to visit or something like that, and I would say no I'm not I don't want to go visit or anything or something like that, which now, looking back at it. I definitely see, I can identify a couple of issues.

But right now, but after, like, talking to her and then seeing the differences in, like, expressing that culture and identity, that definitely affected me in a positive way, like, oh, I should like, be more, it's not that I should be more prideful, but it would be more like, I should learn more. While Notre Dame specifically, the institution, didn't like, increase my like, pride in my culture and heritage, I think the people that I interacted with here for sure did. And it's really interesting because I feel like being further away from family usually would mean that you would lose that connection more. But in a way, I felt I became closer.