Views from the Six

Hi, my name’s Ayyan.

I’m an 18-year-old recent graduate of East Meadow High School and your average American teenager. My Sundays are devoted to watching football. My music library is a smorgasbord of The Weeknd, South-Asian bhangra and Justin Bieber (yes, his new album and persona have converted me to a “Belieber”). I’m entering my second semester of college at Stony Brook University, completely unsure about my future plans. And I watch DJ Khaled’s Snapchat religiously, as it is a major key to success.

Oh, and I happen to be the son of Pakistani immigrants. In my house, we mainly speak Urdu, which is the language of Pakistan. We do this not because my parents can’t speak English — they actually speak it really well — but as a means of preserving the culture that we hold sacred.

I also happen to be Muslim. Instead of decorating a Christmas tree every winter, my family adorns our home with lights twice a year in celebration of the two Eid holidays. And instead of going to church, we attend prayers almost every day at the Long Island Muslim Society mosque in East Meadow.

All of these things that happen to be a part of me make my upbringing unique, and they make it American. The diversity of this nation is what makes it the greatest country in the world. East Meadow is a shining example of what the United States stands for; just take one trip down East Meadow Avenue and you will hear a multitude of languages, smell the aromas of the world’s many cuisines and witness people of every denomination praying however they see fit.
I hope to make this column as diverse as the community I grew up in. Each week, I will be offering my commentary on anything and everything — from the hot button political issues of the day to the newest trends in music and fashion and everything in between.

“Views from the Six” is much more than a tribute to the rapper Drake’s new album; it’s the manifestation of my experiences growing up in Nassau County (the 516) and going to college in Suffolk County (the 631). And as I mature, so too will my “Views.”