“So where are you from?” The question that inevitably pops up in conversation with someone new in St Andrews. This comes with the territory of attending an international school, filled with students from all sorts of backgrounds. To me, however, the weight of this question has always seemed heavier than others. Where someone is from is more serious and telling of someone's character than what they are studying – asking someone where they are from is asking them to explain a crucial piece of their identity. You can tell a lot about a person not only by their response, but also by the manner in which they share this information. Perhaps they are apprehensive and follow up their response with a “but my parents are from X” or “however, I went to boarding school in Y”. Throughout my time at university, my answer has also changed. I used to give a summation – “New York” – but now I always give the full response, not just where my passports say I was born. But maybe I misunderstand this question, and it truly is as meaningless to my identity as the day I was born. To further explore the importance and meaning behind an individual's background and identity, I asked friends to explain their background, where they say they are from, and then elaborate as to why.  

Background: Interviewee 1 

Born: New York City, USA 

Current Home: Milan, Italy 

Timeline: New York City: 4 years. Connecticut: 3 years. Turin: 1 year. Milan: 1 year. Moscow: 3 years. Ukraine: 2 years 

Parents: Mom: Italian. Dad: Italian 

Where are you from?  

“I’m Italian.” 

When questioning him further as to why he identifies that way, he explained that Italy is where his family is from and where his parents live now. He made the valid point that once you go to university, it is where your parents live which you identify as home — and I totally agree with this notion. Out of New York, Lisbon, and Madrid, I would say that Madrid is the most similar to my notion of “home”. Even though I had the least amount of time to connect to the city, it is where my parents are. But this also suggests that home is not the same as our answer to “where are you from?”.  

Background: Interviewee 2 

Born: New York, USA 

Current Home: New York, USA 

Timeline: New York: 1 year. Hongkong: 3 years. Singapore: 4 years. New York: 4 years. Singapore: 4 years 

Parents: Mom: Canadian. Dad: English 

Where are you from?  

“I was born in New York, but I grew up in Asia.” 

She argues that to answer that question ”where are you from,” “New York” is not a sufficient answer so she chooses to acknowledge her time in Asia to better describe her journey. She also agrees that overall she identifies more with being from New York, most likely because she was born and graduated high school there, both momentous occasions which solidified how important the location is to her. This is something I deeply align with. I feel as though it is important for me to acknowledge my time in New York despite not having roots there. Because I experienced so many important moments there, it will always be a special place to me.  

Background: Interviewee 3 

Born: Texas, USA 

Current Home: Aberdeen, Scotland 

Timeline: Texas: 1 year. Dubai: 5 years. South Africa: 2 years  

Parents: Mom: Venezuelan. Dad: Scottish 

Where are you from?  

“I’m Scottish.” 

She reasons that this question is somewhat tied to identity and, because she has lived in Scotland the longest, she identifies best as Scottish. She explains that when people ask her this question, it is usually followed up with a second question about her neutral accent. To this, she replies by explaining that she moved to Scotland at eight years of age, and that St Andrews has actually made her sound more American. Her experience with this question is one I am sure many can relate to. Having others question your identity because of your accent, or potentially how you appear, is frustrating and unfair. She holds little recollection of her time outside of Scotland, but the accent remains regardless; therefore, she is Scottish as can be.  

Background: Interviewee 4 

Born: Madrid, Spain 

Current Home: Madrid, Spain 

Timeline: Madrid: 2 years. Chile: 10 years. Connecticut: 5 years 

Parents: Mom: American. Dad: Chilean 

 
Where are you from?  

“I’m Chilean-American.” 

She says she responds this way because of her parents’ nationality and the way in which she grew up. She reflected on how her response to the question has changed as she has grown to accept every part of herself. She recalls how when she first moved to the United States, she was teased for her Chilean background and almost felt the need to suppress it – once she left the States, there was a resurgence of this part of her identity. She says she now happily calls herself both because it feels most accurate to her.  

Background: Interviewee 5 

Born: Arkansas, USA 

Current Home: Doha, Qatar 

Timeline: Arkansas: 4 years. Doha: present  

Parents: Mom: Lebanese. Dad: Lebanese. 

 
Where are you from?  

“I’m Lebanese.” 

When I asked her why identifies more with Lebanon than where she was born or grew up, she said that her parents had the greatest impact on her identity. To answer the question as accurately as possible, she can only say she is from Lebanon – she believes that this question asks more about one’s identity and culture than physical home. Her upbringing was most aligned with Lebanese rather than American or Quatarian, so it is only right she explains it as so. She also acknowledged that when she goes to Lebanon, there are people who claim she is not “actually” Lebanese, but it's an immature perspective. She used to be bothered by it but refuses to let it bother her anymore, because it is clear to her that it is simply wrong. 

From these interviews I think I have learned three main things. First, it is obvious that the question “where are you from” asks more about identity than where one’s literal home is located. People pick the part of them to which they most align with when answering the question. I also found that people answer most often with their ethnicity rather than nationality, especially if they moved around often. Second, I realized that people respond to the question “where are you from” in the easiest way possible. Through these interviews, I discovered that if I am truly interested in an individual's identity and upbringing, the responsibility is on me to continue asking questions and discover more about them. Finally, our identity is formed by our upbringings rather than our place of birth or current residence. It is the process of how we are continuously raised by our parents, friends, school, religion, and more. But this conclusion leaves me curious as to how I will answer the question as I continue to grow and choose where I live. Does my choice of where I am going to live next have an impact on my identity, and thus my response to this question? Or is my response going to remain the same?