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My Cultural Aspects Of My Identity

Decent Essays

Imagine that you could split yourself in two in order to be in two different countries at the same time so that you could experience each culture, taste their food, listen to their language and absorb every bit of information that these two places offer. In my case, this is how my mind and my family gatherings feel like. I was born and raised in Ecuador but I am also an American citizen. My family is half Ecuadorian and half American; each has kept their native countries’ traditions alive within their lives and homes. I grew up listening to different accents, learning two languages and experiencing the best, the worst, and everything in between in both cultures. In the middle of this beautiful and confusing environment I have realized that my dual cultural background has highly influenced my beliefs, decisions, thoughts and actions. Being Ecuadorian-American is an essential part of my identity.

When I was a child, I thought that every family was similar to mine. At that time, I didn´t notice the cultural differences that surrounded me; and, I didn´t know the implications this would have later in my life. In Elementary School, as I began to interact with children to whom I was not related, I realized that while some families were similar to mine others behaved very differently because they were entirely Ecuadorian. Although my individuality was already being shaped as a young girl, I could not possibly know how or why. I began to clearly notice this as teenager when I

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