We are opposites, my mother and I. Where she is poised, classy and no-nonsense, I am goofy, outgoing, a people pleaser. My whole childhood, we struggled to find common ground. My mother was an immigrant from India; I was an American kid trying to navigate the world without a language to understand my identity. Image The author celebrating her birthday with a cake prepared with her mother — an annual tradition.

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Persons: Abba, Strunz, Farah Locations: India, American