Am I Greek? Am I Canadian? Am I both or neither?

Like hundreds of other young Greek-Canadians, I was taught to "parrot" Greek poems, Greek songs, and basic Greek history and recite them to the delight of our parents, during school recitals and Greek Independence Day. My parents made sure that –come hell or high water—I was going to know that I was Greek and love it; which I did and still do – immensely.

Trouble was… when I moved to Greece with my parents, at the age of 9, I was no longer Greek; I was the "Canathezaki", the "little Canadian". I quickly discovered I was never going to be as Greek as the Greeks in Greece and never as Canadian as Canadians without a hyphen to their name. I was unable to be either one perfectly, so did that mean I was neither? It's a question I've asked myself most of my life.

Multiculturism is a funny thing. One of its most ardent critics, Trinidadian-born Canadian writer, Neil Bissoondath, once stated, in "Selling Illusions: The Cult of Multiculturism in Canada" that "by remaining in the cocoon of their cultural heritage, immigrants cut themselves off from wider possibilities." It's an interesting – and valid—argument.

When I was younger, I remember my older Greek aunts (their English barely discernible), referring to anyone who wasn't Greek, as a "xeno", a foreigner. Even if that person was a fifth-generation Canadian in Canada, HE was the foreigner, because he wasn't Greek! You can imagine that these women didn't take lightly to mixed marriages or anything that wasn't Greek! Most of them remained locked in a linguistic and cultural ghetto they never left.

Issues of identity still boggle my mind. Because I've lived both in Canada and Greece for large amounts of time and sometimes felt removed from both countries (more of a citizen of the world, if you will) I'm deathly allergic to über-nationalistic statements.

While I adore my Greek heritage and proudly display the Canadian flag when I backpack around the world, I consider myself beyond borders, flags and national anthems. I don't hyperventilate with pride when the Greek soccer team wins (mostly, because I had very little to do with their victory) and I don't limit myself to simplistic notions of belonging. I AM Greek-Canadian, but I'm also so much more.

A former Greek teacher of mine once said: "We owe it to our ancestors and modern Greek heroes to succeed." No, we don't. I perhaps owe it to my parents, who left their country of origin and sacrificed so much for us, to do well, but I don't live my life representing my "Greek" heritage, anymore than I do my "Canadian" identity.

People raised to value their culture as superior to all others, sometimes can't see the beauty in what isn't familiar. I can. And if that's a gift of growing up a little all over the place, I accept it with immense gratitude.