Happy New Year, after a long (and dare I say even European-length and influenced) vacation.

Earlier this week I heard from a friend (of a friend) that Veronica de la Cruz of CNN was working on a documentary on the impact of the Obama presidency on people of mixed races and was looking for people to interview. I naturally threw my hat in the ring as a Jeurasian (Jewish Asian). But as I was writing up my email explaining my position on Obama, and so forth, I began putting into words something that I have been thinking about for a while.

There has been so much talk of the ‘changing face of race in America’ that pundits, analysts, etc. have neglected a huge chunk of zeitgeist (perhaps because it frankly doesn’t relate to the lowest common denominator majority of the U.S. population). Obama’s historic presidency goes beyond having implications on race. He is, by and large, the first “citizen of the world” President of the United States. Race is naturally still an issue (probably always will be, just as sexism and gender roles are and always have been). However, a more future-focused identity marker, which Obama waves the banner for, is his unusually culturally diverse background–not just the color of his skin.

For those of you not familiar with the term ‘citizen of the world,’ Obama essentially encapsulates it. He is not only of mixed race, but his father was from Africa, he went to school in Indonesia, lived in Hawaii, and I believe speaks basic Spanish, Arabic and Indonesian language (a form of Malay). Every NASCAR dad redneck in America scoffed at his comment that it was shameful that more Americans did not speak a second (or third language)…but he’s right. You see, ‘citizens of the world’ have an advantage over the average person because they are global chameleons. Open, flexible and comfortable in many cultures–they are the bridgers and uniters of the human race.

Another public eye ‘citizen of the world’ that comes to mind is the handsome and talented Viggo Mortensen. Beyond his unusually (and Viking ‘white hot’) name, Viggo was born in New York to an American mother and a Danish father. His parents met in Norway before moving to Venezuela, Argentina and Denmark. He speaks Spanish, French, Italian and Swedish. Whew, what a resume!

I relate to Obama and Viggo because I myself come from a culturally varied background. I was born in London, grew up with a Portuguese nanny, went to a French elementary school, have lived in L.A., N.Y., and Amsterdam (where I studied as well). I speak Portuguese, French, Spanish and Dutch. And as the result of a Chinese/American coupling, I appear to be of “ambiguous ethnicity.” The latter is a lucky break, as I have been treated like “one of the family” by Greeks, Italians, French, Israelis, Spaniards and so on. Overall, this background has, I believe, made my life richer.

However, I have always struggled with my own ‘citizen of the world’ status as it has caused me much inner conflict and angst about where exactly I should be living. I felt really at home in Amsterdam, but after four years began to feel like I would never fit in. I moved back to L.A. where I also felt at home (having grown up here). But now, I once again feel hunger pangs for Amsterdam. Luckily, I have my Dutch American ‘citizen of the world’ friend Mieke Eerkens to share these sentiments with (we met in Amsterdam, and she too grew up in L.A. but to Dutch parents). However, I get a little sad when we speak Dutch. That goofy sounding language is kind of like the sound of ‘home’ to me, my second home.

I have no doubt that Obama and Viggo and other citizens quietly suffer in the same way. However, being the President of the United States and a major film actor, you can be sure that they are/will be afforded a lot of jet-setting, even during a recession. Surely actors like Johnny Depp (despite his Francophilia) feel misplaced too, whether or not they get to travel all the time. A few months back I was at a cocktail party in the Hollywood Hills and happened to get into a conversation with Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, who told me that he lived in Sweden and was just visiting. I voiced this same “torn” ‘citizen of the world’ feeling to him and he admitted that he didn’t have that problem since he travels all the time for work and is often back in L.A. Then again, he is a full Swede living in Sweden–albeit leading a celebrity’s life.

For those of us hybrids, it’s not that easy–which is why, I am hoping and praying that things will change under Obama–that under his ‘citizen of the world’ presidency the world will open up to us. Perhaps then, living here in L.A., airplane-hours away from any semblance of sophisticated global culture, a can still somehow feel connected to my other home.

Posted by Shana Ting Lipton