Welcome back to my weekend reflections, where I dive into the highs and lows of my workweek!
High: I only worked two out of three days this weekend because my cousin’s bridal shower was on Saturday, and I took the day off to attend. Work-wise, it was a good weekend—the census was low, which gave me more time to talk with patients and actually get to know them.
Low: Over the years, I’ve dealt with countless microaggressions in the workplace, school, and society. It happens so frequently at work that I’ve almost become numb to it—which if I’m being honest, isn’t something I should accept as normal and yet have.
This weekend, a patient complimented my hair and then asked if I was Indian because my hair “looks like Indian hair.” I said, “Yes, I’m Indian.” She immediately followed up with, “Not Pakistani?” I said no, and then she hit me with, “If you’re Indian, then why don’t you have an accent?”
At that moment, I wanted to ask, Well, why don’t you have a German accent? or whatever accent from wherever your ancestors are from?? Instead, I took a deep breath, reminded myself that it’s not my job to educate everyone, and redirected the conversation back to the assessment.
It’s exhausting having to navigate these comments constantly—having your identity questioned like it’s up for debate as if being Indian has to fit into some narrow stereotype. I wish I could say this was a one-time thing, but it’s not. And that’s the real problem.