Family Interview

I interviewed three different family member of all different age that have experienced my family culture in their own way. For my interview I interviewed My mother Okala Mundeke. She is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo but she moved to America when she was 35 years old and she is now 50 years old. She has grown up mostly in Congo so she has a strong knowledge of our heritage and family history since she was around it more.. My sister Emmanuella Kalonda she was born in the congo but has little memory of it since she was less than a year old when she came to america. she is currently sixteen years old. But she was raised with my mother learning about family and our culture. My next candidate is my other sister Jocelyn Fetner

Many writers explore the notion that cultural differences may inflict feelings of disconnection for their central characters. This is shown in the two texts ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Migrant Woman on a Melbourne Tram’, as both protagonists struggle to cope with their newly exposed environment. Despite this, we learn that it can be resolved through the acceptance of one another, yet others may remain to dissociate themselves from society.

Belonging is a complex, multi-faceted concept encompassing a wide range of different aspects. The need to belong to family and culture is a universal human need which provides a sense of value and emotional stability, and in many respects forges one’s identity. Alienation and disconnection often creates feelings of isolation, depression and loss of identity. A struggle with cultural identity is evident in Peter Skrzynecki’s poems ‘Migrant Hostel’ and ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, where he examines a division between his pre-war Polish heritage and his newfound Australian way of life. The movement away from his European cultural heritage towards a more Australian identity created disorientation for Skrzynecki, and these feelings of disconnection

People who share a connection through cultural or social factors often relate well together. This is demonstrated in the poem “Migrant Hostel” through the use of the simile ‘Nationalities sought each other out instinctively like a homing pigeon’, this likens the behaviour of the migrant searching for other people with whom they shared a connection with, to the action of a bird driven by instinct. This shows that by the different

One’s understanding of belonging can broaden their understanding and acceptance of themselves and the world around them. The statement that we all strive to belong is true, however it may take time to belong to a certain person, place, group, community or even the larger world. This issue is explored in Raimond Gaita’s biographical memoir Romulus, My Father and Khaled Hosseini’s confronting novel The Kite Runner. Throughout these texts, the themes of personal relationships, migrant experience and morals and values arise from the concept of

In the memoir ‘Pointing North’, Paolo Totaro finds that despite having barely any memories of Italy and having spent most of her life in Australia, “fitting in” is not easy. Paolo Totaro pointed out that many of her hardships originated in the schoolyard – “They too figured it was too hard to pronounce, so Greasy Wog became my moniker.” She noticed that throughout her child, many people overlooked her feelings and simply labelled her as a “hysterical Italian”. Paolo stated that she doesn’t “remember any other non-Aussie kids at school” and wondered whether she would have felt as if she belonged if she were not the only foreigner. She found that as others treated her as an outsider, she clung

Belonging to place/culture is a major concept in ‘Migrant Hostel’ to show how the migrants use their background as a sense of affiliation and belonging. This can be seen through the use of a in “Nationalities sought each other out instinctively like a homing pigeon circling to get its bearings” This example shows how the migrants felt isolated and alone when they first arrived at the migrant hostel. As they came together the “sought each other out” through the use of nationally and culture which made them fit in and feel excepted into the place.

On this extensive journey it allowed for an emotional journey to take part between immigrants, shown by the metaphor “silence fell from it’s shackles” showing readers that they were finally able to talk about their past experiences and emotions, which allowed for emotional release. The lengthy journey also allowed for Skrzynecki to allude back to his past life remembering both good and bad memories.

Today genograms are used in psychology and medical settings to identify the connection between families and identify how members of the family communicate with one another. There are several types of genograms that created for many reasons such as ethical, career, and sexual. This genogram helps an individual map out the connection of their contextual history with their framework. My experience of creating a genogram was an amazing feeling and it helped me discover several factors that occur in life as an adult. The interview with mom helps me to identify a lot of unknown features that can be possible genetically transmitted to my children. During my genogram creation, a few explanations of conflicts were discussed according to family member’s characteristics and beliefs. Discovery of my genogram alerts me with the many personalities that I share with my family. While reading this book I was eager to finish the book because of the interested information that was listed to help me understand my developmental structures.

I was looking forward to completing this assignments, as I was able to connect with family members and gain a better understanding more of how my heritage and culture has helped to shape my career development. I did not find difficulties constructing my genogram until having to document my grandparents careers. Growing up, I knew that my grandparents owned farms because I spend a considerable amount of time playing on the expanse of land. However, I began to realized that I was not sure if that had always been their occupation. I did have to call my father to get a bit more information about my grandparents and their occupations. I was not far off from what I believed to be true. However, I did realized that both of my grandmothers were homemakers until my aunts and uncles were school aged.

The first theme I noticed after completing my genogram was the trend in education. None of my grandparents had the opportunity to pursue education further than a standard high school degree. Still, they greatly value education and have contributed to the postsecondary educational pursuits of their children and grandchildren. My brother Tommy and I have completed the same level degree as our mother, and my brother Wesley has completed the same level degree as our father. The second theme I noticed involved a connection between familial relationship and career choice. I have always been very close with my grandmother, Lola, and I am working towards a career in the same field as she worked. The same rule holds true for my father and my brother

Moving away from your native country is never an easy task. Italian immigrants that emigrated to America felt a wide range of emotional turmoil, and nostalgia for their home country. These quotes and stories all relate to me personally, and made me either feel nostalgia for my own home, or made a lasting mark on me for how much the custom at home meant to them. Some of these concepts I personally related to when I moved out of my household into the dorms, while others, made me feel their pain and nostalgia from the storytelling. A lot of the concepts explained in the tales and documentaries were forms of nostalgia over similar ideas, like family, or what they miss about home. On the opposite side, there were views that contrasted each

My family of origin includes my mother, my maternal grandmother, my maternal grandfather, and my uncle. I do not consider my father or half-sisters as part of my family of origin due to their absence in my life. My family of origin includes patterns observed within the genogram and apparent during my life which has not been overlooked. My family of origin dynamic was filled with support and love and was built based on the resilience of my grandparents who suffered trauma in their lives and on my mother who was determined to do all that she could despite my father’s absence.

Throughout this interview process, it was extremely difficult to find a family not similar to mine. However after many weeks of searching, I found a wonderful family that lives not to far from my hometown, the Lindsay family. While interviewing this family, I spent approximately four hours at their small home in Lake City, TN. This experience was difficult and rewarding at the same time. To me, meeting new people is very hard because I am a really shy person. However, I strived to gather a lot of information from this family because it is very important to get a lot of details. So, therefore, this paper will explain my own family, the Lindsay family, and the comparison amongst our families.

Learning about my heritage and my family has always fascinated me, and doing this cultural genogram was an awesome experience to learn more about my family. To complete this project I interview my mom who is the genealogist for both sides of my family.