I was born in Finland and learned to walk somewhere in the USA.
I learned to talk in China but started school in Ceylon. (Sri Lanka).
After my eighth birthday, I returned to Finland (having circled the globe).
Choosing a Language to Write
I have spent over 30 years writing in Swedish since most of my surroundings consist of Swedish-speaking people, although I live in Finland. Choosing a language for my stories became a hurdle, as I have spent most of my life in other parts of the world with other languages.
I have friends who know only English, Thai, or Finnish. I will not attempt to write in Thai, sorry to say! Some of my friends also know Sinhalese or Tamil. Some of my first friends in my early childhood spoke only Chinese! Those languages are also beyond my abilities.
So now, at the ripe age of 70+, I returned to my school language, English.
I want to thank my teachers; maybe none of them are alive anymore, there in the beautiful town of Kandy, Sri Lanka, for giving me a love of learning. I will continue to learn something new as long as I live.
I may write a few lines now and again about teachers I remember. This time I will mention my English teacher, Mrs. Pullenayagam, a beautiful Tamil lady who taught me about Literature, Reading, and Writing - and encouraged me to write Compositions, Essays, and Stories, using my imagination. I loved those hours spent in her class.
All the places I was taken to and where I've lived have formed my Identity. They have given me an awareness of the value of diversity. Many of my belongings have been lost along the way. Abundant experiences have inspired my creativity. The choices I have made in life are based mainly on the values which my mother particularly gave me. Maybe my writing will later refer to various influences on my life.
My faith and beliefs are deeply rooted in a personal relationship with my Creator, who became my Savior. Appearance and Ethnicity do not dominate my thinking. My weakness lies in not having disciplined practices and habits. (I excuse myself too often, blaming all the interruptions and moves that have filled my life.)
My working life/career/vocation was shortened due to Rheumatoid Arthritis in my early forties. I didn't stop working then but gradually had to accept limitations. Those obstacles brought new opportunities, such as painting, writing, and meeting new people with similar challenges.
My friends and family are scattered around the globe. This is one reason I write: to connect with all the swirling parts of my Identity, and maybe my sharing can give you a stronger hold on your Identity.
Yet, the trigger that brought me back to writing in English was a message from someone I never met. She found me in 2011 through a comment I had made on Youtube about the school song sung at our former school in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
We exchanged a few childhood memories from that beautiful tropical island. Our memories began to overlap through an old photo I shared with her. She had visited the house around 1958 with her grandmother. The picture was taken in 1953. She recognized two white-haired ladies in my group photo. One was her grandmother’s cousin. Her grandmother’s cousin was our landlady.
Since 2011 I’ve taken several Writing Courses from the East to the West Coast of the USA. Now I’m revising my memoir, Journeys of a Broken Duck, with advice and encouragement from Susy Flory of Everything Memoir and the director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference. https://westcoastchristianwriters.com/
(My first journey across that vast land occurred when I was ten and twenty months old. My family was on our way to China after WWII. That story is in a book I wrote in 2015. https://booklocker.com/books/8211.html)
Thank you, Marja!
An inspiring true story that reminds me of my own background with some differences due to the distinct cultures that I was involved in, but similar in many ways. An MK has to be ready to adjust oneself and to move on to other countries leaving behind so many cherished memories and important people. Nothing is more surer than the change in itself, but being flexible to life's challenges can cause a growth of character and a deep understanding of other cultures and their people.