<IMG style="FLOAT: left" src="http://www.lexpress.mu/lexpress_cms/newsimages/Gifremo%20.jpg">I woke from a dream last week and now I feel troubled by it ever since. The key scene was set many years from now when my son Remi was in school . He was questioned by a substitute teacher, rather innocently, of his cultural background and heritage. In my dream, it was his reply that disturbed me. Not so much the inaccuracy of his response, but rather the attitude that he displayed to those to those listening and the lack of pride of his upbringing and heritage. <BR><BR>Remi has Mauritian-born grandparents and family on his father’s side, and Croatian-born grandparents and family on my side. My husband and I were both raised in Australia and continue to live in Sydney with the grandparents and immediate family. This cultural mix produces an upbringing that is everything but ordinary for Remi. It is a fusion of nationalities which has presented both challenges and rewards. However reflecting now upon my dream, the following thoughts begin to resonate – is it possible to be bombarded with too many cultures during your upbringing? Is it a recipe for recipe for blurred vision of your own sense of identity? Will we unconsciously create the very outcome that I fear in my dream? <BR><BR>As parents we attempted to set some boundaries from the day Remi was born, of the most appropriate manner o share our cultural influences. My husband’s parents speak only French to Remi, my parents speak only Croatian to Remi and we as parents try to communicate primarily in English. Although we all spend different lengths of time playing with him, this doesn’t appear to affect his comprehension of the three cultures in his life. <BR><BR>Grand-père and grand-mère dance the séga with him and sing old Mauritian songs in Creole. They show photos of the beauty of Île Maurice and teach him old French nursery rhymes. In the kitchen, the aromas of Mauritian cuisine fill our house and toys of the dodo bird scatter he floor. Indeed any cultural education is accidental, because there is an overwhelming sense of pride by Remi’s grandparents to continue to adopt these traditions from their Mauritian homeland in Australia. <BR><BR>During the week whilst Grand-père and Grand-mère work, Remi spends most of the time with Nonno and Nonna. The walls are scattered with the Croatian national emblem and photos of he Adriatic islands. Stories are told of the annual donkey races in the fishing village where Nonno as born. Nonna shares the playful games and songs that she grew up with whilst a Croatain casserole cooks on the stove. Croatian books fill the bookshelves and a CD of Croatian nursery rhymes is always in the car car ready to be played. Whilst the food, songs and language may differ, the patriotism does not. <BR><BR>Much to the surprise of our relatives, my husband and I made a last minute decision to take Remi to see his family abroad. Two weeks in Croatia and two weeks in Mauritius, prior to his first birthday. We were keen for “<EM>great garandparents</EM>” to meet Remi whilst still possible. Also as newly weds we also acknowledged he significance of meeting the extended family that we have now both married into. <BR><BR>Our fortnight in Croatia was a whirlwind of faces, names, towns and islands. But at all times, Remi was the centre of attention. Our comfortable lifestyle in Australia provides us with the opportunity to be able to travel abroad. This luxury means that we were all able to share time with loved ones who will never be able to visit us down under. The quantity of photos taken went overboard in these special cases. Although Remi will not remember his Croatian holiday, others will and there is comfort in knowing that new bedtime stories were created, memories made and photo albums waiting to be re-explored when he is older to understand. <BR><BR>We have now arrived in Mauritius for the second half of our family vacation. As a tourist for the first time, I have fresh eyes for this island and am determined to block any prior expectations from hearsay back home. <BR><BR>Just as we value the importance of showing Remi his roots, I too need to appreciate first hand my husband’s culture. The good, the bad and the ugly. Including the parts edited or deleted for our own good by Mauritians living in Australia. I am optimistic and excited of the adventures planned because I have already witnessed a warm welcoming and extreme selfless kindness in a short period of time. And I pray that our pure intentions to bring Remi here to inspire more pride of his heritage will be rewarded. My hope is that the answer in avoiding my dream from becoming a real life nightmare lies in visual association images and relationships that segment each chapter of Remi’s cultural background and identity. I have a new deam now that my son will one day live in a nation where he will not judge himself by the colour of his skin but by the content of his diverse cultural character. <BR>

Jasmine