My DID and other stuff

Alter Nationalities

Hello all. 

There has been a severe lack of communication on our parts to all of you throughout the last month and a half or so, which many of you have expressed concern about. Thank you, we appreciate your concern, and we will tell what we are comfortable sharing with you privately. However, please just be aware that myself and other members of our system may not share with you any or all information that you would like to know, and that is for our safety and privacy, especially since the happenings of our lives and our inner world are very personal. But, we do appreciate all of your support. I just wanted to make that clear, because I'm not sure who else will. 

I have not yet posted on this platform, not formally anyway. I still have my reservations about the whole thing, but my input isn't always listened to in there. This book hasn't been updated with any actual educational content in a while, and Stormy has left outlines of some chapters that she'd like each one of us specifically to write, or topics to talk about, because they pertain directly to us. This is one of mine, even though it doesn't only relate to me, but I figured it was an okay entry point to sort of feel out how I feel about all of this. 

My name is Leigh, I'm a perpetrator-gatekeeper for our system. But, I do primarily serve as a gatekeeper. There is a chapter that was written by Hannah earlier in this book discussing what being a gatekeeper means, if you would like to read that for more information on that subject, and what exactly it is that I do in the system. 

Today I am talking about nationalities. 

As Stormy has already expressed previously, alters are different people, with their own separate memories, interests, tastes, and experiences in life. However, something not yet discussed is how our nationalities also can differ from each other, and the Body. In the chapter where Stormy created us as Sims, it's hard to see the differing skin tones throughout all of us, so I guess I'll clear some of that up as well. 

I do not share a nationality with Faith and the Body, who are Canadian with English heritage, even though I am also caucasian. I am actually Kiwi. That's what people from New Zealand are called. Obviously I'm not physically from that country, nor do I have any heritage for that to form from. However, my nationality is one I'm proud of, and actually presents itself in other ways. 

The most obvious is my accent. I speak with a kiwi accent, which if you've never heard one before, is often described as an Australian/English mix. I speak with that accent in and out of the Body, because an accent is how you move your mouth, not how your voice sounds, so my kiwi accent is one of the easiest ways to tell if I am the one fronting. However, I can also deliberately speak with a Canadian accent if I'm fronting and need to disguise myself. But I had to learn that accent, where my kiwi one is just naturally how I speak. I also stay connected to my country through research on my country's history, and learning to play Netball, a sport directly from there, and keeping up my heritage pride. My nationality actually means a lot to me, which is likely why Stormy picked me to discuss this, and myself and other alters can have pride in their home country just like anyone else. 

I have never actually been to see New Zealand, and I really hope to be able to go someday. It's a big part of my identity and it feels like part of me is missing without being able to connect with my roots. Maybe one day we'll be able to travel over there, but travelling with DID is very difficult and quite scary. 

I'm not the only one in the system with a varying nationality. Hannah is Latina, or Latin-American, and she actually speaks Portuguese. She has perpetually tanned skin, even though it's kind of hard to see with the light from the screen in the Sims. AJ is Egyptian, although that's not really a huge part of how she identifies. She knows it about herself, as if her grandparents were from there, but she doesn't have a huge connection to it. Her Sim is actually probably the closest to how she actually looks. Brynn is actually English, and she also has a differing accent. Which, if you have actually spoken to her, even through messages, makes a lot of sense. She very much speaks with the mannerisms and slang of someone who comes from England. 

That's about all I have to say on this topic, I believe, at least in regards to what is actually relevant. I have not decided how I exactly feel about this platform yet, so I can't guarantee when the next time you will hear from me is. But, Faith left me a message to share, which was to thank you to everyone who helped her through the past month without contact with the rest of us, and so I'm just relaying that to you. 

Thank you for your time. 

- Leigh