Having served my mission in Guatemala I have been able to link myself to a whole new cultural experience. It was a culture that I had to acquire by not only learning Spanish but learning Guatemalan slang in order to fit in. For example I had to learn that "calidad" and "chilero" meant awesome and that "va pues" meant okay in Guatemala. This slang connects me uniquely to the culture of Guatemala because it helped me to gain the cultural capital in relation to my form of speaking in order to fit in. Also in order to be a part of this culture I had to adapt to eating tortillas with every meal and even learn how to make tortillas by hand.
My scriptures help to link me to the culture of being a Christian. As I have learned more about the scriptures and the stories found in them I have developed a certain form of thinking and speaking that is unique to a religious culture. For example I often talk about things like have faith and trusting in God that for someone with only secular knowledge they would be unable to understand what I was talking about. Many of the things that I have learned in the scriptures also have effected my actions. For example I spend Sunday's going to church and do not go out and shop or do other things which to someone that is not a part of the Christian culture or especially the Mormon culture they would not understand.
My collection of sweatshirts and use of them helps to link me to the culture of being an introvert. They have been a means for me to blend in and be considered normal or average. This meant that often growing up I was well known as a person but rarely people went out of their way to talk to me or be friends with me. And that is exactly what and introvert wants because being a part of that culture means that we stay on the outskirts and do not stand out. It also means that often one acts quite shy and does not speak up in social experiences.
Having grown up most of my life in Iowa I find a deep cultural identity in Midwestern culture. Being a part of this culture means that I know to lift my hand in a wave when passing a 'neighbor' on a dirt road, it means that I know what "knee high by the fourth of July means" and that I often say the phrase "Is this heaven? No it's Iowa". Being a part of this culture means that the whole community is unspoken life long friends and that it is perfectly acceptable ask probing life questions of someone that you have not seen in years. It also means that I know what extreme cold is and that it is totally acceptable to be in shorts in January when it is 40 degrees outside. Many of these things would seem very strange to someone on the outside of the culture and they are things that are hard for newcomers to learn but for a Midwesterner they are just simple facts of life.
Living a life worthy of having a temple recommend has lead me to uphold many values and work hard to keep the commandments of God which has often left me on the outside of popular groups and ideas. Additionally it means that I dress in a way way that is very different from the world that often makes me seem strange because I do not wear revealing clothing but dress in a more conservative way to show respect for my body and allow me to wear a sacred garment. This practice is shared only by other worthy temple recommend holders. Additionally in order to live my life in a way that I can be worthy of holding a temple recommend I refrain from certain acts such as not drinking alcohol or coffee and not have premarital sexual relations. Which for those who do not have the same goals can seem very strange.
In order to be a part of the sport culture there are quite a few things that you must understand. Each sport has its on vocabulary in relation to the players and how the game is played. For example in football the quarterback is the one who throws the ball and a touchdown is earned when a team scores. However a touchdown does not apply to basketball so when a team scores they make a basket by making a shot, a layup or a three pointer. But for someone who knows little about sports listening to a conversation with these terms would be so confusing. But by being a part of this culture I can easily understand these terms but the vocabulary is quite extensive so even I get left on the outside of the culture sometimes, especially in relation to football because I do not know what all of the positions mean. So when I hear a conversation about how what a running back and a tight end did in a game I get lost.
Patriotism and being a citizen of the United States is very important to me. Having freedom to worship and believe what I want is critical to my personal culture and to the culture of many around me. But it is a culture that is unique to the United States in many ways. It means that when we learn about and talk about our history and current events that we are constantly thinking of what the implications to our freedom and it has caused the American way of life to become the dream of all. By being a part of this culture I have taken for granted many things because they are a part of my everyday life. But these are all things that people from other cultures are seeking to find and obtain which sets the American way of life apart and makes it hard for other cultures to identify with what we do each day.
Family is a huge part of my life. I want to live a life worthy of their faith and confidence in me. Also they are what brings me true and lasting happiness in this life. Each family has a unique culture to it as well. Some families are more formal or have strained family relations.
However my Stewart family has a culture all of its own. This means that nothing is ever formal and when we have family gatherings we often dress in t-shirts and jeans or basketball shorts. Every meal we eat always includes some kind of meat and the topics of conversation are almost always football or some kind of business. And if the TV is on we are watching some kind of football or basketball. And for someone that is unfamiliar with our family culture we may seem too laid back or they will feel uncomfortable and unsure how to act.
The temple represents many of my goals in life. It represents my roots in the LDS community that has been a huge part of my life. Ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to be able to enter the temple. And now I work to make regular temple attendance a habit. Both of which are common goals in the LDS culture but for people that are not a part of this culture this can seem strange. The temple also has a vocabulary of its own and by being a part of the culture I know that the temple is a place were only certain people can go, I know what is required of me to enter into the temple and I know what certain words mean. Like that ordinances are sacred promises between God.
Social media plays a huge role in my life. It has made me belief that it is only okay to post the happy moments of life and has me seeking in many ways to compete with others. But social media can be a complex culture in which one is constantly seeking to have the most friends or followers or likes or retweets. And it is an acquired vocabulary that is very specific depending on what you are doing. It is often learned over time but requires the ability to navigate through many different programs with different rules. For those that do not have access to technology or cannot grasp all the concepts of it this is a confusing and often frustrating culture.
My family cookbook helps to represent my love for food. Food is a culture that connects every human being because we all need to get in order to life. However the types of food that we eat all connect us to a different culture. My family cookbook connects my family together because it has all of our favorite recipes including the ones I at constantly growing. However most of the foods in this cookbook are only considered normal in American culture. People from other countries would be unable to identify with this culture because they are accustomed to eating other things and often would find these food unusual or gross. Also some of the names of foods are unique to my culture for example funeral potatoes which is normal for us to say and we all understand what that refers to but someone that is not a part of my family culture may not understand that when we say funeral potatoes we mean cheese potatoes.
My backpack and laptop are everyday essentials in my quest for higher education. My computer is a part of my culture because it is something that I use everyday. I use it in my school work and in order to stay up to date with everything going on in my classes. And it is my own personalized computer that I can take anywhere I want. This allows me to do various things in a private, personal way which is so common to me and others around me but fro people of a poorer background a personal, portable laptop could seem prestigious or unattainable. However by having this it helps me to more actively participate in the culture of a college student as it helps me to blend in with others around me.
I learned to horseback ride as a child because of my grandpa and my dad. And it is a culture that allows us to be connected as we make time to horseback ride. Also it has given me a lot of different knowledge in relation to how to act around horses. Like I know that you need to talk to a horse as you approach it from behind and touch it so it does not get scared and kick you. Also that horse often blow out their stomachs when you saddle them so you have to surprise them by hitting them so they let out all the air and you can tighten the saddle. Also the best way to catch a horse is by bribing them with a bucket of oats. But for someone that is unfamiliar with horses often they are nervous and scared around horses and they do not know these simple things so they can get hurt being around horses.
This is my work uniform which is important to me because since I was a little girl I was taught that hard work was very important. By having to work I have learned that things in this life must be earned. I understand that nothing is free and if I want to have nice things then I must work to make the money to buy them. I also have a great appreciation for hard work and being independent. And for someone that is not a part of this culture it may seem strange that so often I go and do something that I may not consider completely enjoyable. Also many do not understand the need for having a job because they have been privileged with coming from a rich family but because of this too they do not truly understand when coworkers and I complain about customers or work because they have never been on the same end of things as us. And in order to do a job often a lot of learning is required as one learns how to treat customers, what a needs to be done at work like counting money or running a cash register and often that is something that is hard for a lot of people to learn and remember so they do not last long in a job because they are unable to adapt to the culture of a job and the demands of it.
My makeup bag is really important to me because it helps me to feel more beautiful and socially acceptable each day. Make up is used to cover up the imperfections of one's skin and to enhance what is considered beauty. And there are a lot of different kinds of makeup and shades and colors so for someone that has never used makeup this can be very confusing. There is also a lot of different techniques that are used in applying makeup and lots of different brushes. So even though I identify with culture of wearing makeup as a form of beauty I do not have the cultural capital to carry on a long conversation about makeup or even to be able to make my way around a makeup store without being identified as someone that is not really a part of the culture.
Music is a constant in my life and I can often be found listening while at home or walking on campus. It has often helped me as I have gone through certain challenges in my life. And different types of music link you to a different kind of culture. For example I love country music which means that I can identify with the lyrics and beats of this music. It talks a lot about love and the country life but many people do not understand or like country music because they think it all sounds the same or that it is all about drinking and girls. But that is because they are not a part of the country music culture and they do not find a common basis in what the lyric say.
I can rarely be found without my phone in my hand or close by. It has become a necessity in my life to communicate and stay connect to social media and other things that are going on daily. But cell phones are relatively new and the fact that I am constantly on mine looking at social media or texting can be offensive or rude to someone that is not used to using a phone constantly. They do not understand my constant need to know what is happening or be talking to someone. Also I understand that there are times when it is appropriate and inappropriate culturally to use a phone, like it is okay to use it in my apartment but not okay to use it while I am at work. And that is something that is learned over time and can vary from person to person depending on how they understand and navigate this culture.
Books!!! Since I was a kid books have been so important to me. Books allowed for my imagination to grow wild and for me to escape the worries of the world for a moment. And because of my love for books as a child I often spent more time reading books then watching TV or playing outside. Often this made me stand out because I was not necessarily doing the same things as other kids my age. Often it made social interaction awkward because I did not want to be there but would rather be alone reading. And often that seemed strange for others around me because they were not sure how to interact with me.
Keeping a journal has become important to me recently because it is a way of keeping a personal history. It has also allowed me to figure out emotions and problems that the world tells me that I should not have. The idea of keeping a journal is not commonly shared with many people right now because they do no understand the purpose of taking time to write down what is happening in life. They do not see the importance of documenting experiences and what is going on. But I have used my journal as a form of scrapbooking in which I write things down and then will put pictures or ticket stubs or wedding invitations in my journal. This could seem odd to someone that is not myself especially if they read my journal because they might feel uncomfortable reading about my experiences, thoughts and feelings. But I hope that by keeping a scrapbook that one day someone will be able to read it and understand a little better all the different parts of my culture.
The Spanish language has become an important part of my life. It has allowed me to have another way to communicate and express myself and has also opened up many new possibilities for my life. Speaking a different language opens you up to a whole new cultural experience because it allows you to understand what other people are saying. People that do not speak Spanish cannot understand anything that is being said and this are unable to communicate with Spanish speakers. So by learning Spanish I can communicate with these people. But this is not an easy task and even though I can now speak Spanish I will never fully be a part of the Spanish culture because I do not have the same accent as native speakers and I do not always pronounce words correctly.
Doing this helped me to realize that my culture is made up of many different parts. It also reminded me that it is important that we are not confined by our cultures but rather that we must be open to learning about other cultures and expanding our own. It made me see how much the Latino culture has effected my life from being a missionary. And without that impact on my life my personal culture would be a lot smaller. Also I can see that I am easily influenced by popular culture and trends. My culture has helped me to expand my horizons and have a desire to learn and grow. It has given me the determination to work hard for the things that I want which will help me to reach my goal of becoming a teacher. Patriotism and honoring our countries freedoms will serve me as an educator because it will help me to remember that everyone is entitled to have an opinion and be heard. However, at the same time I can see that my culture will hinder me in many ways. Having come from a conservative Midwestern community and also from the conservative LDS community I can see that often when I am placed in situations with minorities I do not know what to do or I have prejudices against them. This will not help me in a diverse classroom setting and it will be necessary for me to break out of these stereotypes and be more accepting. And I have been able to do this a little bit by getting to know the Latino culture through speaking Spanish because I have come to realize that we cannot define people by societies stereotypes because they are very different from them. My faith in God and my beliefs as an Latter-day Saint will both help and hinder me I think. It will help me because I will constantly be reminded of how each student in my classroom is a child of God and they are important. But I think that it will also hinder me in some ways too because of what I belief to be morally correct may not be what is required or needed in certain situations with children and their parents. Also it may put me in a minority opinion on certain issues within schools that may make my job hard for me to do.
By redoing this assignment later on in the class I realize that culture will have a huge impact on my future students. My personal culture is so unique because it is composed of lots of different bits and pieces of other cultures. Each of my students will be the same way. Each persons personal culture is so unique and that is what will make my school, my classroom, and my students so different. Our personal cultures give us a unique identity that cannot be ignored. And by being aware of this I can make my classroom a place in which we accept our differences and celebrate them.A lot of the problems that come about in society occur because the privileged majority tries to force their culture on the minorities and that is something that I do not want to do in my classroom. If we ignore these personal cultures then kids will lose a sense of identity and often will become frustrated with what is happening and this can greatly effect their learning process. So I will work to create a classroom in which all cultures are accepted and celebrated.
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