Personal Narrative: Growing Up As A Sikh In The San Francisco Bay Area

Growing up as Sikh in the San Francisco Bay Area was a very unique experience in many ways, and has shaped the person that I have become today. Being a Sikh I have faced many different adversities and have had to over come many difficult scenarios that most kids do not face growing up in America. Bullying, being singled out, and constantly having to explain my beliefs at first was not easy, and made me question my individual worth but later in life helped me realize my potential and helped me feel better about myself. In the early 2000's there were not many brown families in my neighborhood and even less kids of color in my elementary school. As a kid I wore a small turban on my head, my hair wrapped up in a bun and covered with cloth on my head. Shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks my dad decided to get my haircut so that I wouldn't be picked on at school or society but that did't stop anyone. At school, I could feel every one looking at me differently than other students. When ever the teachers took role, I was the only student whose name they could not

From an early age I always attended Gurdwara, or temple, every Sunday and from there I learned about my religion and culture. So whenever a classmate or teacher asked what religion I was or what God I believed them I always had a clear answer. When I'd tell someone that I was Sikh, they'd ask if I was okay seeing that Sikh is pronounced almost the same as sick. After I'd explain to them the word itself, I'd go on to tell them about the main beliefs of Sikhism, which included belief in one God, always doing honest an hard work, and helping others whenever possible. As I would explain these to my peers, it would reinforce my own faith and make me feel more proud of who I was in the world, as many students were wither unreligious or simply did not know too much about their