My Personal Experience of Culture

Culture is what is unique to human beings because of our capacity to conceptualize the world and to communicate those conceptions symbolically. [34]

Many people have different views on culture and what it includes. I think culture is a mix of many things that become a norm for a group of people over a long period of time. I think that culture is a mix of music, food, traditions, and relationships. Cultures also bring together a group of people who hold the same values and beliefs, an example of this would be any religion. Culture affects all areas of a person’s life as it affects the way they view people, make relationships, make decisions and in general how they live their life. While most cultures have existed for many years, they are not static. Many traditions are held to but there are still changes as more generations are joining and the older ones are passing away.

In this paper I will begin by defining personal culture and national culture. After, I will then elaborate my own personal and national culture. I will continue to talk about the subject with the person that I have chosen for my cultural group, my mother, and I will identify her personal and national culture. Lastly, I will talk about my own personality and how it has a connection with my own natural culture; knowing this is important, it lets us know who we are, and how we act with people who are from different cultures.

Arriving at a foreign country at the age of eleven years old was and exiting and yet intimidating experience. High buildings, wide roads, newer and nicer cars on the streets were some of the first things I noticed when I arrived to the city of Los Angeles CA. Living in a country where you were not born in could be difficult some times. Although Spanish is spoken at a grand scale in CA, it was difficult to communicate with and understand the teachers from my classes at the elementary level since all they spoke was English. Los Angeles is a city of great diversity, therefore it is believed to be the perfect place for any person arriving from another country to not feel like a foreign, such believe

Srinivas Maddineni and I come from different backgrounds and cultures. Srinivas—or as he likes to be called “Jake”—is from India and can speak Bengali and Hindi. I, on the other hand, have ancestors from Eastern Europe and speak my religion’s language of Hebrew. Despite these cultural differences, Jake and I met and forged a meaningful relationship because of our shared interest in economic empowerment. Before I talk about my relationship with Jake and how our friendship impacted an organization, I’ll first discuss how I came to know him. Before coming to Emory, I was originally set to attend George Washington University (GW). I will admit that I was not excited about the prospect of going to GW; it was low on my “college list” and I did not feel passionate about the school or its academic

Culture means the big things and the little things. Culture to me is the big, little, and everything in between. For a while I wasn’t sure what culture was. When I found out I realized I needed to find out what it meant to me. What I decided was this, Culture is family, traditions, and values. Culture is what I want to carry down to my children and the way I live my life. It is what I grew up with and around and how I will understand the choices of my life later on. Culture is so important. It is something I never realized was so essential in my life and once I saw it I never want to forget it and how it works into making me the person I am and will forever be.

Culture is the definition of a person, like the prologue to your favorite story. The not so scientific DNA that makes you, you. The influences and people that shape your behavior, and change your characteristics. It is the environment in which you are surrounded by. The reasons behind your peculiarity. Your culture is the most important thing, your culture is you. My culture is the constant of support that my family gives me, even if I do screw up sometimes. My culture is pureness of the love that I receive, and knowing how genuine it really is. My culture is the reliability of my friends, and the constant reassurance that they have my back. I am extremely family oriented and this allows me to succeed in tackling my dreams, one at a time.

In the article “Fluid and Shifting: Racialized, Gendered, and Sexual Identity in African American Children” by Denise Isom. Isom talks about how the researchers were studying African American Children, and racialized gender identity. There were several ways that the research was conducted they include: questionnaires, one-on-one interviews, and observation ethnography. The study was conducted from 2001-2002, in a “lower/ working class African American community near a large mid-western city” (Isom, 2012). The participants were children enrolled in a community based after-school program. To gain insight on early conceptions of one’s self and others as far as gender and race (focusing on how they intersect), children from grades five, six,

When it comes to a boycott that relies on culture, would you think it works and succeeds? The answer simply is no. A boycott that depends on a culture does not work and succeed due to the fragile foundation it bases on; culture. Usually, the consumer cares about two things at marketplace when they do shopping: the commodity quality and the price. The consumer always seeks high quality products, and affordable prices. However, the consumer does not care about the personality and the identity of the producer that makes the commodities he buys. The client does not worry for example if the lingerie he wears produced by homosexual, lesbian, gay, or bisexual person. Second, the customer does not think about the shoes he wears if produced by niggers,

The first five things that come to mind that have affected my personal culture are family background, religious affiliation, language, ethnicity, and friends. I come from a family with both parents and several siblings. Everyone in my family is Christian, all of them having grown up in the church, typically Nazarene. My entire family is made of Caucasian, native English speakers. Because of that, most of my friends are also native English speakers and all Christian.

From my cultural experiences, I learned a multitude of things about cultures different than my own. When I attended the Latin Gala, I experienced different music, food, and customs. There were salsa and chips, and a potato dish called papas rellenas which I really enjoyed. People also sang in Spanish and danced to lively Spanish music, and there were several performances. I also visited a restaurant called El Burro Loco which provided authentic Mexican food, and a cultural atmosphere. There was Spanish music in the background, and Spanish artworks, pinatas and sombreros adorned the walls. I ordered the Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo dish, which was described as sautéed shrimp with toasted garlic and cilantro. It was my friend’s birthday, so we were all served flan, and the waiters gave us sombreros to wear as we all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her in Spanish. I also went to another restaurant called La Taquiza, which is a very small Mexican restaurant. Since they possess a Taco Tuesday deal where they serve tacos for a dollar each, I usually opt to get three soft shelled veggie tacos with a certain green sauce which is spicy, but I like a lot. La Taquiza doesn’t play any music but also has a lot of Spanish artwork which portrays many religious

The environment, family, and community I have grown up in has shaped me as a person. So far, I grew up in the same house all seventeen years of my life. My personality has grown and molded over the years of middle school and high school based off the lessons I have learned and the things I’ve been through.

Culture defines people’s values, beliefs, and personal interests. Culture is important because it allows people to maintain a unique identity society. Many cultures have common interests, while others may have customs that differ greatly from that of another. Technology has had a huge impact on present day cultures. Many culture have been altered including my own, and some have been created due to the rise of technology. Cultures differ so greatly that someone belonging to one culture may not agree with the values of another, which then causes social and ethical issues. My culture shares many similarities with others around the world; most of which have connected more people in recent years than ever before. Cultural gaps, and lack of

One of my earliest childhood memories was in a huge playground with kids the same age as me, laughing and talking in a foreign language, except I was the only one lost in translation. The memory was of a time when my parents sent me to an all-girls boarding school in India at five years of age. Learning how to adjust to a new culture was difficult, to say the least. However, I have grown from this unique experience. I developed a new mentality to adapt to any situation, and truly believe friends can help support anyone through any circumstance. I also learned many new cultural experiences that influence my life today. It is these experiences at my boarding school that has shaped me into the person I am today.

The concept of culture is something that defines many aspects of one’s life. From physical objects to different ways of thinking, culture adds significance to human life and makes groups of people distinct from one another. Culture is essentially a group of people who come together with similar interests and points of view. According to the Center for Advanced Language Acquisition of the University of Minnesota, “culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization.” From a more sociological perspective, culture is a way in which people come together in order to fulfill their needs. These shared patterns and ideas identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.” Culture is one of the things that sets the United States apart from the rest of the world. Not that the rest of the world is not cultural, but the circumstance here is different. Many people of different cultural backroads come to this country in search of a better life. As a consequence, the United States has become a place where many cultures merge together like a colossal pot soup.