18
18 Aida
AidaAidaAida looks across the table at her granddaughter, all twelve years of her. Aida is not ignorant to the challenges she faces. She has a dual identity, one half immigrant, and one half American. One might think this is an advantage. She is bilingual, can bridge two cultures, and see herself reflected in more than one group of people. What Aida knows, however, is that despite the long-term advantages her granddaughter possesses, during adolescence these two identities feel more in conflict with one another than harmonious.
At an age when it is difficult enough to know who you are amongst your peers and society itself, what is demanded of Lejla is no small task. At home she is pressured to retain her Bosnian identity, and at school she needs to be American.
In time, wit
