Where are you from? - I am from science fiction

I am often asked this question: "Where are you from?". And inevitably I find the answer confusing. What do they want to know? How do they want to interpret my answer? Is it about culture that I know (adhere to?)? Is it about the country where I was born? Is it about the country I grew up? To what age? Is it about the country I know? Is it about the language that I can speak?

I happened to be born in USSR, the country that does not exist anymore. During my life there, the territory represented some confused, sometimes forced and sometimes unnoticed cultural mix. Is it something special in this world? Somehow, I think it's rather common. As a child I didn't notice any difference as my family smoothly floated between Georgian and Ukrainian republics with extended family happily spread over the rest of the space. We spoke Russian as the most convenient language that everyone understood. 

What about culture? In school we learned ukrainian, moldavian, georgian, russian and other dances and songs and optionally could learn Ukrainian language since the school was on the territory of the previous ukrainian republic. In the following years at school I've also studied English, German and Latin. Did we have any cultural traditions? foods? not really. Not that I can recall. We didn't have any cultural holidays, nor religion. Foods were specific to the region, but I'd guess more because of the availability than preference.

I keep asking myself what did I get from my parents, from my surrounding? I've spent my childhood very lonely, with school-friends living quite far away. We didn't have any particular games. And I just studied and read books. 

And yet - I am quite impressed with my own worldview, the breadth of my knowledge, interests, ability to survive and cope. Did I get to all of that myself? I was wondering...until recently I've reopened a few of science fiction books - those that I didn't touch in years, those that I've read gulping for more and more between beeing 8 and 10 years old. Yeah..that was it. Myself came from there. My ideas, my world views, my PhD in sustainability - I am just repeating all those old stories written on the thought waves of the galaxy. Not a single original thought :) :) :) Life is so transparent. I come from science fiction, that's my country, my birthplace, my sense of humour, my acceptance of difference (there's aliens out there!). In the eternity of the universe - I am quite happy to be, no need to prove anything, Just enjoy the ride and "DON'T PANIC"

Update: and just as I was finishing this post, this came around:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/march/dancing-droplets-prakash-031115.html
Now, would you like to challenge your definition of life? ;)