The question posed to me in this week’s assignments is to
identify three items that represent my family culture. As I pondered the question,
I realized that my family does not revel in possessions. We do not pass down heirlooms. There are not many items that I would say
represents my family’s culture. My
family consists of many different cultures, religions, and ethnicities. We are diverse within ourselves. Therefore, no singular item could adequately represent
my family’s culture. It is embedded in
us through experience and passing down stories arbitrarily. When we gather we reminisce
with pictures. Those pictures lead into stories
of times together in our youth or our parent’s youths. My grandmothers would use the pictures to tell us about how she grew up and how our family began. We laugh and sometimes cry. If I had to take anything that would
represent my family’s culture, I would take a family album that depicts many of
our family’s events and identifying generations of family members who are no
longer living. This would be my only
item that I would take. My family could
host as all items in one. It serves as a
reminder to me of those I hold most dear.
It is a memory trigger of times enjoyed and lessons learned. I can use this album to explain to others in
my new community the people who helped structure my identity. “When we find ourselves in the midst of
another culture, or when we must interact with someone from a different
culture, we discover that the way we do things is not the only way”
I think that my feelings upon arriving to a new country with
a different culture and language would be at first anxiety. Not knowing what to expect or how I would maneuver
through this new environment successfully.
Knowing that my family album
could stay with me, I would be relieved, as I would use those pictures to take
my mind to happier times. Seeking
familiarity is comforting in an uncomfortable situation. That is why in my school we have family trees
with pictures. The children get to see
their family and have pride in themselves and for their family.
References
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias
Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington DC: NAEYC.
Good Morning!
ReplyDeleteI think that you have chosen a very sentimental and precious item to carry with you. For many families, pictures are worth a thousand words and those words of plenty are embodied into one moment or snapshot in time. A question I have for you: if that one item was taken, do you have a back-up item that you would take that also reflects your family?