I learned how to walk here, you know? I ate food from this land. Like, I swam in your oceans. I played in the desert. Everything about my life is associated with this land. And having no sense of permanence here really complicates that. And I sometimes wonder if, let let's say for some whatever reason they grant

me citizenship would I be able to call this place home you know is it just that or is it more

than that I don't know I don't well like what is? You know what I mean? This place that I could easily call my home

if I was a citizen of is not. So then what is home? Do you feel a sense of connection to Syria?

Not at all. Like, f***ing, not at all.

Today, we have a story about where we're from.

Like that question you get asked when you're first introducing yourself to someone.

My name is, I'm from this one place.

It's like there's some societal expectation that it's meant to be a simple answer.

But for many of us and I, as Hibba, feel like this, the answer is never simple.

So today, we're going to explore that.

The messy, not straightforward answer of where we're from.

And of the places we know best, there's no place where this mixed identity phenomenon

is amplified more than in the United Arab Emirates.

I'm Hibbe Fisher, and you're listening to Kearning Cultures, a podcast dissecting the complex

narratives of the Middle East through stories.

And one story that always kind of captures my imagination.

The streets lost culture.

And you're listening to Kearning cultures.

Two quick notes about today's story before we start.

Something you'll notice right away is that it might sound like the interviews were done in different places, because they were.

We met with our main character a few times in different places to record our conversation together, so please bear with us on that.

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