Identity, Patriotism, and Belonging.
My parents are Serbian. Technically, so am I, since I do have citizenship. But I don't feel Serbian. I've never lived there, it doesn't feel like home.
I'm British too. I've lived here my entire life, and I have British citizenship. But I don't feel British either. Especially now, when it could not be more clear that Britain isn't fond of immigrants.
This leaves me in a wierd place. London feels like home, I guess, but more because I'm used to it than because I like it. And I don't like it. London's OK, but the rest of the UK is much worse. I don't like Serbia much either. Horrible government(That goes for the UK too), way too religious, and very homophobic. I have no national identity at all. I certainly don't feel patriotic towards either the UK or Serbia. My only real attachment to either place is the people I know that live there.
The most interesting result of this for me is my attitude towards the other Balkan coutries. In general, there is a bitter relationship between the people of the countries that make up the Balkans. For example, when my mum found out that it was Marin Čilić, a Croatian, who would play against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Tennis finals tomorrow, she immediately said she would support Federer. Nobody in my family even cares about tennis. And in my maths lessons at school during the past year, I shared a desk with a Bulgarian girl and a Romanian guy. We got along fairly well, but was a point of conversation that we weren't supposed to be getting along well at all.
But to me, the other Balkan countries are just other countries. I don't hold all of the prejudices that your typical Serb would. I'm not even that bothered about Kosovo.
As far as I'm concerned, patriotism is just brainwashing and propaganda that governments don't have to pay for. Still, occasionally I feel like I missed out on a sense of belonging. Oh well.
I'm British too. I've lived here my entire life, and I have British citizenship. But I don't feel British either. Especially now, when it could not be more clear that Britain isn't fond of immigrants.
This leaves me in a wierd place. London feels like home, I guess, but more because I'm used to it than because I like it. And I don't like it. London's OK, but the rest of the UK is much worse. I don't like Serbia much either. Horrible government(That goes for the UK too), way too religious, and very homophobic. I have no national identity at all. I certainly don't feel patriotic towards either the UK or Serbia. My only real attachment to either place is the people I know that live there.
The most interesting result of this for me is my attitude towards the other Balkan coutries. In general, there is a bitter relationship between the people of the countries that make up the Balkans. For example, when my mum found out that it was Marin Čilić, a Croatian, who would play against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Tennis finals tomorrow, she immediately said she would support Federer. Nobody in my family even cares about tennis. And in my maths lessons at school during the past year, I shared a desk with a Bulgarian girl and a Romanian guy. We got along fairly well, but was a point of conversation that we weren't supposed to be getting along well at all.
But to me, the other Balkan countries are just other countries. I don't hold all of the prejudices that your typical Serb would. I'm not even that bothered about Kosovo.
As far as I'm concerned, patriotism is just brainwashing and propaganda that governments don't have to pay for. Still, occasionally I feel like I missed out on a sense of belonging. Oh well.
22-25, F
