Both/And

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"In Israel I was eager to practice my Hebrew, to speak like a native as soon as possible. I made it a task to get the news from the newspaper Haaretz on a daily basis...I found scores of Jews like me--dislocated, tongue-snatchers ready to make the leap to become natives.

Much as I tried, I couldn't feel fully at home. I soon realized that, deep inside, I liked being divided: Mexican and Jewish. Or, more precisely, I found that that the concept of difference the Yidishe Shule had instilled in me had permeated my entire identity. In the streets of Mexico I had been singled out as a Jew, making me feel uncomfortable, though not altogether unwelcome. My skin color was different, my name was different..., my education was different. I didn't fit in...and I liked it.

Discomfort can be a pleasant sensation."

from Resurrecting Hebrew by Ilan Stavans

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