They Told Me to Fit In. I Chose to Decode the Room.

Impostor? No. Interpreter of the Invisible Rules.

They told me to adapt. I learned to decode. Smiling not because I fit in, but because I finally see the system for what it is.

When I moved to Italy at the age of six, I didn’t speak the language.

I spoke French. Everyone else didn’t.

So I stayed quiet.

In class. On the playground. Even at home, where we talked big, but lived small.

Later, I chose a technical school instead of the fancy high school across the street. That choice made me feel small in my own house.

At university, I stayed in a public dorm. My classmates rented apartments and talked about summer internships in London. I shared a bathroom with strangers and tried not to look broke.

✍️ I’ve Felt Out of Place Since I Was Six

Over and over again, I walked into rooms that told me:

“You don’t quite belong here.”

At first, I thought it was me.

Now I know better.

This isn’t just a personal feeling.

It’s a systemic signal — one that follows people like me, and maybe people like you, across every stage of our lives.

So when people talk about “impostor syndrome,” I don’t just hear self-doubt.