I quickly changed playlists as my friend entered my car. On the way to her house, I had been listening to Coptic Orthodox hymns.
Coptic Orthodox hymns are warm, traditional and deeply spiritual, much like the Coptic faith itself, which originated in Egypt. Both of my parents were born in Egypt and immigrated to America to — you guessed it — give their children better lives.
As I scroll through people-pleasing playlists, I reflect on what it would have been like if my parents had not left Egypt. I would be sweating in modest clothing, dirty, dusty and probably thirsty. But I’d definitely be listening to Coptic Orthodox hymns.
Living in South Florida as a Coptic Egyptian means I can’t hang on to my culture as tightly as I want to. This region has a small Coptic population compared to my New Jersey hometown. When I moved here to attend NSU, I let go of a massive community that held me accountable for staying connected to my roots.
COURTESY OF MELISSA MARZOUK Nicole Shaker, senior communication and computer science major, attends a meeting for Orthodox Christian Campus Ministries, an Oriental Orthodox Christian club for NSU students.
For people who want to stay in touch with their culture but are surrounded by a very minimal or nonexistent community, it is a conscious decision every day. Do I eat grape leaves or chicken nuggets? Do I listen to an Orthodox sermon or a true crime podcast? When I call my mom, do I speak Arabic or English?
These decisions come up constantly. It’s my choice how connected I am with my culture because I can’t immerse myself in it the way I can in New Jersey or, obviously, Egypt. I can take little tastes of Egypt throughout the day, and the less I choose to do this, the further I grow distant from what I once considered my identity.
I have assimilated. I accommodate. I learned how to shut my Coptic Egyptian-ness in a closet, ready to be taken out, worn to church on Sunday morning and put back by 2 p.m.
Diaspora youth, separated from their family and their community, struggle to hang on to their traditions and values. I feel like I compromise my culture when I neglect the little tastes I have the option of taking — going to Coptic church, reading Coptic books, learning the Coptic language.
But I still strive to hang on to that thread that ties me back to Egypt.
I dropped off my friend at the end of the night, and I played Coptic hymns all the way home.
Nicole Shaker is the co-editor-in-chief of The Current.
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