Nadia Zaidi is an immigration lawyer living on the Upper West Side in New York City. Her full service immigration law firm services artists, designers, start ups, creatives, businesses, families and more. Her path to the United States was a unique one and her cultural heritage has left a lasting impact on her life today. She is Pakistani and grew up in Kuwait thanks to a project that brought her civil engineer father to the country. She is also a wife and a mama of two. Here’s her story:
On culture/heritage playing a role in my life growing up: I am Pakistani and I grew up in Kuwait! My parents are US citizens and were expatriates living in Kuwait. We repatriated when I was 18 years old and about to enter university. We were part of a tight knit Pakistani community and celebrated most holidays such as Ramadan and Eid as well as weddings and other random dinner parties. I don’t think the community is too large there, but it is close knit, probably because it is a unique experience and we all bonded over it.
On how living in New York City impacts her view of culture/heritage: Living in New York, we are constantly surrounded by friends from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
I feel that I can relate to so many more people because of the intricacies and nuances of my own heritage.
On the culture she feels more connected to: I definitely feel connected to Pakistani culture because this was the primary culture in our home. My parents spoke to us in Urdu and we also ate Pakistani food almost every day! This as well as holidays, celebrations, songs and traditional clothes all allowed us to be immersed in Pakistani culture as children growing up.
On repatriating at age 18 after living entire life abroad: It was difficult to re-assimilate into American culture. I felt a bit displaced.
On maintaining individual identity while incorporating facets of each culture into her life:
I try to focus on the beautiful sides to each culture and to focus on the aspects of each that make me feel happy, empowered and inspired.
On hopes for my child’s view of their cultural identity: I would love for my children to experience the richness of the culture I was raised in. But they are growing up in New York and it is not as big a part of their lives as it was mine. I speak to them in Urdu and try to recreate many of my own childhood traditions, but it is not as strong as it was for me as a child.
I hope they appreciate their Pakistani heritage and enjoy all the color it adds to life.
Thank you so much Nadia! On a side note, I asked Nadia about her work given the current climate surrounding immigration and she noted:
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