Hi, and Welcome Back to Teen Lives! My name is Anna Garrison and growing up in a multicultural household is a beautiful experience, that offers a valuable asset of becoming a global learner and a multifaceted opening to various cultures at a young age. I have an especially unique situation however, as a daughter of a Jamaican father whose family speaks patwa which is an English Creole, sometimes it can be difficult to converse. It is clear that I am significantly different having grown up in a family that speaks it on the daily. Although I can understand most concepts and Ideas spoken as it is relatively, closely associated with the English language and I have been hearing it since I was little, the accent is another way in which it is very clear that I am different from my family which can be difficult at times. From grappling with these slight language barriers and navigating cultural differences throughout, I have to make a clear effort to engage and understand my Jamaican culture even if I don’t understand every aspect of it. As a multiracial teen woman growing up in a white community and conversing like an American, it can be difficult to straddle these two worlds, not only do my physical attributes differ from that of my family but parts of my mauraisms also vary. Overall, I have understood that the most valuable part of my culture is being willing to try to understand and embrace differences even when difficult. I believe that I have found, despite the hardships, that having a family that is willing to work with me to learn and understand them is so valuable. We often play charades during meals and sometimes laugh a lot. My family always takes the time to explain what they are trying to convey in a new light wherever I don’t understand. The best thing that I have gotten to understand as a person who gets the opportunity to experience these different cultures is the love that is invoked throughout every group of people regardless of their nationality and background. I have learned that love is a universal concept and can be expressed regardless of the socially constructed barriers created by the world. I am so grateful to possess a multiracial identity that is challenging societal norms and fostering greater understanding and acceptance.