Nationality has come up in conversation a few times this weekend, and my wandering brain being what it is, it got me thinking.
My Twitter friend Liloo recently questioned why our Olympic team here in the UK is called Team GB yet Northern Ireland is part of that team, so maybe we ought to have TeamUK?
Someone did ask why she was bothered as she’s not from here. (I believe said in jest!), and I’d kind of forgotten that Liloo isn’t from the UK. She’s from a French Island called Ile de la Réunion (Reunion Island)
But she’s lived here for years, paid taxes and contributed to our economy for many years and to me, is absolutely entitled to be pro UK.
And inevitably, our conversation moved onto ‘which country do you support I’d they’re playing against one another’
It did make me begin to ponder though.
I and my 2 older brothers were born and brought up in Surrey in the south of England. They both still live there, but I now live in North Wales.
My eldest brother has 3 sons, the elder 2 born in Surrey but the youngest was born here in Wales during the brief 12 months they lived here.
Is he Welsh or English?!
My husband was born in Wales and lived here all his life, but his parents are English, from Derbyshire.
Is he English or Welsh?
My 4 sons were born here in Wales to one English parent and a hybrid!
My father has 3 younger siblings, one of whom was born in Singapore when my grandfather was stationed there after the war.
Is my uncle English or Singaporean?
My nephew says he’s English. His parents are and apart from his 1st 6 months of life, has only lived in England.
Likewise, my uncle would say the same.
However, if I moved to England tomorrow, would my boys say they were English or Welsh when they were old enough to ‘get’ the reasons behind patriotic questions like this.
It’s all a little confusing really!
Are you a hybrid like my boys?
4 Boys' Mother 
Comments on: "Confused nationality…?" (8)
Yep, my eldest son was born in England we moved to Wales when he was 6 months old he considers himself Welsh, My daughter and other son both consider themselves Welsh born and bred here. My husband on the other hand was born in England to Welsh parents considers himself English……go figure!!
Isn’t other confusing?!
I just call my lot hybrids…
X
Great post and we have a similar problem, I am English and my OH is Welsh. Our children were born in England where we live and I say they are English but OH says they are Welsh?? If you ask them they say they are Welsh too but my six year old want to play rugby for New Zealand which might be a problem!
Hmmm, I’d have said they were English too! But the New Zealand rugby thing may well throw a spanner in the works…!
Oh my, I didn’t realise the variety of your situation. Very confusing indeed! I love what they do in wales and the fact they still teach welsh at schools and really trying to keep the language alive. What happened to the scottish gaelic? xx
No idea about the Scots, but yes my boys do speak some Welsh. More than my husband, and certainly more than me. I only know how to swear in Welsh… z
Well I’m, English and my husband is Scottish, my eldest and youngest children were born in England but my middle two were born in Germany 🙂 Jude x @jadlgw
Oh my, an eclectic mix!