Coming to America

The struggle to belong after immigrating to a new culture often manifests as a persistent feeling of being an imposter, leading to years of performative assimilation. Moving from Karachi to Los Angeles at age ten, Misha Euceph navigated the alienation of a new environment by suppressing her original identity, adopting local fashion, and masking her lack of knowledge regarding common American childhood experiences like riding a bike or swimming. This cycle of "little lies" and social mimicry, intended to avoid the humiliation of appearing different, ultimately created a deeper sense of isolation and internal dissonance. By confronting these specific gaps in her upbringing—starting with learning to ride a bike—she seeks to reconcile her past with her present, moving beyond the need to hide her background to achieve a more authentic sense of self-acceptance.