A little Peek
Have you ever wondered, how teenage life is compared to others in other countries? Well, it can be very different, compared to how your teenage life was/is. That’s why I would like to share my life as a teenage girl born to immigrant parents.
My name is Toshna, I am thirteen years old, and I am an Indian teenage girl born and raised in Denmark. My life is a mix of two vibrant cultures. Most of my daily experiences are shaped by my Danish life. Still, Indian origin plays a big role in my life, and by who I am.
Growing up here has been exciting and challenging. My days are very often filled with school, ice hockey, hanging out with the close ones, and balancing the Indian roots with Danish lifestyle.
My parents moved here from India two years before I was born, chasing better job opportunities, but it was hard to face. They had to learn a completely new language, Danish, and adjust to a culture very different from their own. My grandparents still live in India, and I get to visit them once a year during the summer holidays, which is one of my favorite times. It can be difficult to have grandparents that live on the other side of the world. My Danish friends are used to driving no more than three hours by car to visit their grandparents. Denmark is so far and cold, that my grandparents rarely come here. So I am grateful for me being the one to visit them, but it can still be difficult to only meet them once a year.
I also have cousins spread around the world, so travelling to see family is a part of my life.
Ice hockey is a big part of my life, even though it’s not a common sport for Indian girls, or not even girls or Indians in general. I love how Ice hockey can be a different sport compared to other sports, and I can tell you, Ice hockey is an exceedingly hard sport. Balancing, focusing and playing on the ice can be difficult, and that’s what makes ice hockey a special sport to me. I’ve made great friends through the sport, and it can be hard, because some of them left their own ways by choosing the sport they immensely love, that isn’t ice hockey. And you know what? That’s okay. It happens. I have still chosen not to give up, and continue ice hockey, even though my close friends have all come to a stop by the sport. I have had my ups and downs with my sport. I have been on the very edge by quitting my sport, and giving up, but I have learnt that small mistakes are just steps towards bigger successes. I chose not to give up and continue, and I try to join as many hockey training sessions as possible, to be better at my sport.
In the future, I imagine myself still living in Denmark because it’s a happy, cozy and safe country. I’ve heard the struggles my parents faced when moving to Denmark, because it was completely new for them. It can’t always be easy to build a life from scratch in a foreign place. I don’t think I’d like to go through the same challenges.
Balancing Indian roots and Danish roots isn’t always easy, but I try to embrace the best of both worlds. I enjoy celebrating Indian festivals with my Tamil friends and family, but I also love Danish traditions and the way of life. It’s a mix that shapes who I am and who I want to become.
By: Toshna
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