Hello, I’m Dan or Magi. Neither Magi nor Dan are my actual identify. Because it’s one other 12 months of Blaugust, I figured I’d write an introduction once more… and since a sure Canadian buddy of mine didn’t know that Dan isn’t really my actual identify, I figured I’d begin with that.
Word: This submit is not an actual introduction however a lot slightly slightly touch upon id and reflection. I will allude to racism at one level or one other however past that, there should not be any massive triggering topics in place. I will discuss pursuits of mine and different issues in one other submit ultimately throughout Blaugust.
My dad and mom are from Kosovo, however I used to be born and raised in Germany, therefore making me a second-generation immigrant. I do have German citizenship, although, since I used to be born right here, however the concept of nationality and id is a little more complicated than that for me. All through my childhood, I used to be a foreigner via and thru. In Germany, I used to be the Albanian man. In Kosovo, I used to be the German man. That type of factor.
Finally, I moved away from my hometown to an enormous metropolis in North Rhine-Westphalia. Right here, no one actually cares the place I’m from or what I’m. I’m simply me. That’s a plus, I believe, within the grand scheme of issues… however I do miss dwelling in a small city. The sensation of understanding everybody within the neighbourhood and the gradual tempo of life is one thing that I simply don’t actually have right here.
In my hometown, I’d by no means return on time from work or college. I’d at all times find yourself in a prolonged dialog with neighbours of mine, vacationers, store house owners and even the native pastor. Within the metropolis that I reside in, I hardly know anybody. Heck, I don’t even know who lives within the flat subsequent door or within the flats under me. You don’t actually greet folks on the streets, and other people solely greet you once they wish to promote you one thing. It’s a bit weird.
It’s very nameless and lonely at occasions, so dwelling in a much bigger metropolis is a little bit of a double-edged sword. No person cares about you however should you need assistance with instructions or something of the kind, individuals are fairly unlikely to even look your method. It was a little bit of a tradition shock for me, at first, once I moved right here and once I’d attempt to assist each single particular person I got here throughout.
“I used to be younger and dumb. These days, I’m simply dumb”, I are inclined to say.
And today, one thing that brings me the utmost pleasure is once I get requested the place I’m from and other people don’t really care about my ethnicity or roots. As a substitute, they’re inquiring about my speech. Once I simply moved right here, it was extra excessive. My dialect was very clearly rural, regardless that I believed that I used to be talking “regular German”. I felt embarrassed on the time.
These days, I’m a bit unhappy that I forgot expressions from my native dialect… however when folks at work or elsewhere realise that I’m not from this metropolis initially and once they inquire from what different a part of Germany I’m from, it provides me a way of delight. I really feel like I used to be really at residence in my hometown. It makes me really feel extra validated.
I grew to become Dan as a result of not being Dan made issues uncomfortable.
Even with the folks being pretty left-leaning, there are occasions when folks have a tough time with foreigners. I move as “German”-looking. I’m pretty pale in spite of everything, and my German’s nice regardless of it being my second language. That stated, at events, my foreign-sounding identify would elevate eyebrows at events. I’d get requested the place I’m from and once I’d return. Certainly, there is no such thing as a unwell will… however the good thing about the doubt solely goes up to now, proper?
As such, I took a syllable from my identify and went with that. At events, I’m Dan. It’s simpler. I don’t must spell something out for people and undergo all of the uncomfortable and unimportant questions that individuals whose names I’ll neglect the very subsequent day may ask. And ultimately, that type of grew to become my identify on-line. It’s a nickname that brings me consolation.
I’m simply Dan.
Magi, alternatively, got here from the German phrase for magician, “Magier”. I don’t know what recreation it was however I named somebody there “Magier” however solely 4 letters would match. It may have been a excessive rating in an arcade-style recreation or a pet or unit in some RPG. I wouldn’t know, it has been ages, in spite of everything. However “Magi” caught with me ever since I used to be three, and once I bought into Greek mythology, I added “mos” to it as a result of I believed it sounded cool once I was six.
As I turned older, folks didn’t actually name me “Magimos”, although. The pronunciation of it was totally different each time I talked to of us however it doesn’t matter what it was, it was a nickname that introduced me consolation.
I’m simply Magi.
TLDR: I yap rather a lot and assume an excessive amount of about unimportant issues. Good to fulfill you.
This submit was initially written by And duck from Indiecator.
If you happen to see this text anyplace aside from Indiecator.org then this text has been scraped. Please let me learn about this by e-mail.
