The Visa Expires at Twenty-Five
In many Gulf countries a child's residency ends with their parents' sponsorship. Two guests describe the year they turned twenty-five and had to leave the only home they had ever known.
Where Are You Really From
0:00 / 0:49
This episode is for members. Sign up free or log in to hear the whole episode.
Show notes
The question with no short answer
Nadim grew up in a Jeddah compound with Palestinian-Jordanian parents and a Canadian passport. Mei was born in Singapore to a Dutch father and a Malaysian mother and went to school in four countries. In this opening episode they compare their rehearsed answers, their honest answers, and the answers they give to taxi drivers.
- The three-tier answer system most third-culture kids develop by age twelve
- Why the question lands differently from a border officer and from a date
- Passports, visas and the parent job that everything depended on
- The relief of meeting another person who gets it
A gentle start to the series. Future episodes get into the harder material.
Transcript
Hi, I am Riya Menon and this is Passport Full of Elsewhere, a show for everyone who grew up between places and has never had a short answer to where are you from. I grew up in Dubai with Malayali parents and an accent from an American school, so I have been answering that question my whole life. This week I am joined by Nadim, who grew up in a compound in Jeddah with a Canadian passport, and Mei, who was born in Singapore to a Dutch father and a Malaysian mother and went to school in four countries. We compare the answer we give at borders, the answer we give on dates, and the answer we give ourselves at two in the morning. It is funny, it is a little tender, and I think you will recognise yourself. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
Open as text