You know how people in movies have places. Like their spot. To go and contemplate big ideas of the world. Or to just be.

I’ve never had a place before. I actually didn’t really believe they happened in real life. But one day last week, after a particularly tiring day at work, I left and just drove. And ended up at my place.

For so many months I have struggled with the question of “why Detroit.” Last year, I was working in a school, and I spent so much time and emotional energy there that I didn’t have much time to think about things outside that space. But this year, through Challenge Detroit, I’ve been exposed to so much more in this city – different sectors, organizations, people, conversations. While it has been a great learning opportunity, I’ve also internally wrestled to find my place in these conversations.

Between sitting in race discussions that are often framed in terms of black and white and meeting people with long histories of family ties to Detroit, I couldn’t quite figure out where I fit in. Even though I grew up right next to the city, everything that I’ve had close ties to occurred outside of Detroit – our temple in Farmington, family friends in Troy, my old middle school in Sterling Heights. From a spot to get my eyebrows done to grocery shopping, the suburbs became what I naturally gravitated toward.

The disconnect also stemmed from not seeing that many familiar faces in the city. In my daily routine, I rarely pass another South Asian – unless of course I’m on Wayne State’s medical campus or in the center of downtown’s business district (unfortunately some stereotypes do persist). And so, whenever I miss home or crave great Indian food, I look outside the city. But it isn’t just the lack of physical presence that is disheartening – not hearing those voices in conversations about Detroit’s history or future makes it easy to feel separate from the story of this city.

It’s not surprising, and in some ways it’s a self imposed separation. I grew up in an immigrant community in metro Detroit where people came into the city to work and went straight back after. I still struggle to pitch Detroit to family and friends, many of whom have spent decades living less than an hour from here.

Then I found my place. Literally and figuratively. That night, my spontaneous drive led me to right under the Ambassador bridge. And sitting there, watching the bridge light up as trucks crossed the border, something clicked in me.

Its sheer proximity to Canada would make it an international city. But beyond that, there are so many layers to Detroit’s history. From the immigrant small business owners that we interviewed to parents at Priest Elementary Middle School, the city is a huge cosmopolitan hub. And that isn’t always highlighted.

I realized that night, that there is a place for me in Detroit. While it may not always be as prominent in discussions, there are a spectrum of ethnic communities that have made Southeast Michigan their home. Their presence in Detroit, or in some cases lack thereof, continues to shape the city in its own way. My personal goal for the year is to understand and highlight the ways these diverse communities have made Detroit their home.