Personal Narrative: Where Are You From

Where are you from? Although a common icebreaker question, this is one I often hesitate to answer. I have never felt there was a clear-cut answer to this simple question. This question has always seemed to me to be asking more than just where is one born, but also asks who do you call family, where do you feel most comfortable, and what experiences have shaped you into the person you are today?

Where I come from it's taking pride in your yard, knowing every single one of your neighbors, and leaving doors unlocked because there isn’t a thing to worry about. I find comfort in that small town feel, and I am more than proud to be from good ol’ Warrenton, Indiana. Here, we are just a wee bit shy of being big enough to be on a map, but we have a name and we have town lines. Within those lines nearly two hundred people have found a home, and thanks to Mr.Dave Gruible our community is steadily flourishing. There are now three subdivisions on the rise in addition to the church, salon, family restaurant, and campgrounds that nestled into the area years ago.

My “outside” cultural influences I have: America is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world culturally. We have German-Americans speaking German, Filipino-Americans speaking Tagalog, Irish-Americans speaking Irish, Scandinavian-Americans speaking Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, etc., Welsh-Americans speaking Welsh, Japanese-Americans speaking Japanese, Iraqi-Americans speaking Arabian, Mexican-Americans speaking Spanish, and all Americans united in the common goal to create the best possible nation in accordance with our Constitution.

Life is like a puzzle. Everyone wants to find their place and feel like they are “at home.” Sometimes that can be a bit challenging if someone is different. In “Where Are You From” , the author deals with going “back home” to South Korea and finding out that because she was in America for so long, she no longer fits in or has a place(Park 357). I can relate. My parents are not together and because I live with my mom, it was my duty to visit my father during Christmases and summers. I learned that even among family, it is possible to feel like the odd one out.

“Where are you from?” has been the defining question of my life, mainly because I do not have an answer for it. Growing up, this question brought me anxiety and frustration, and constantly being the new kid meant that I had to answer it frequently. I learned to assess the situation to see what answer was most appropriate. “I am from America” worked when talking to locals or non-American classmates; “I am from Colorado” was used for Americans who wanted more detail; “I’ve moved around a lot” was saved for people who expressed genuine interest, but I gave my truest answer the least even though it meant the most: “A lot of places.”

Recently I took a trip to Nashville, and YES it was so much fun, I learned a lot about my business, met some of my AWESOME business partners, but most of all I got back my Country Roots !

The front range of Colorado has a large diversity of cultural populations represented. Therefore, as a professional counselor it is my responsibility to educate myself on the cultures I am likely to be working with. Since there is such a diverse population there is no way I am going to know everything about everyone’s culture. Although, I do know the cultures of the majority populations that frequent the agency I am currently working. Since I am working with populations I would be aware of the societal issues they are facing and the oppression they have been and are up against. Therefore, this allows me to immerse myself into their culture, learning and seeing firsthand the oppression and prejudices they face in the community in which we

I am from a small town in South Dakota that not many people know about. Growing up my summers consisted of bike rides, swimming, and trying not to fight with my two older sisters. My parents are very loving and they are always helping others.

Post WWII in 1957 my great Grandad left their homeland of England to immigrate to Canada by plane which took 10 hours to fly from --------- to New York City. The ride was stressful and sickening, my Papa, Colin who was only _ remembers puking on the plane.

In late September of 2010, was the year I learned a new word “Depression”! I was in 1st grade and everything was fun because I had no responsibilities or worries. I didn’t know how to feel grief for a long time because I was always happy. I didn’t know that a family member could own a child.

Where are you from? Although a common icebreaker question, this is one I often hesitate to answer. I’ve never felt there was a clear-cut answer to this simple question. This question has always seemed to me to be asking more than just where is one born, but who one calls family, where one feels most comfortable, and what experiences have shaped one into who they are?

It all started moving to Sedona, Arizona after my parents got a divorce when I was three years old. I did not know much at the time what was happening but moving to Sedona was the reason why I am the girl I am today. Having a single mom, a brother and grandparents to call family was all a girl needed to be happy. I was independent, caring, and goofy when it came to friends and wanting myself to stand out from the. Having an Italian family made me appreciate what family can do and teach me to grow. Later Sedona became something what I use to know. Family started to pass, move out, and start new life’s in different locations of the world. So to me what

I was born in May 25, 1999, in Pharr Texas. Even though I was born in Pharr my hometown is Hidalgo Texas. I live there my whole life, my family have been with me all this years. I learn a lot from them, one of the things that I learned from them was that even if the situation is difficult I need to find the way to solve my problem. My family is there whenever I need something for example, in school or saying an opinion that can help me have positive results.

The hardest question for me to answer is when people ask me “Where are you from?” Do they want to know where I was born? Where I lived last? Where I call home? I end up talking for a long time about how I have moved around. I was born in Bountiful, Utah, and I lived there until I was nine. I moved to the small town of Hawthorne, Nevada. It wasn’t a great place for me to grow up, so my mom got a new job in Daegu, South Korea. I liked Daegu a lot more, but we ended up moving again to Vicenza, Italy. My mother works as a civilian for the United States Army, so I technically am not a Military Brat. I like to call myself one because I have had to live a similar life. I currently live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I am trying to leave as soon as I can. I call Vicenza, Italy my home because that is where I really grew up. I moved to Vicenza on July 5th, 2010. That year I was starting 7th grade at the middle school. I spent 4 years, 7 months, and 13 days living in Italy, and I hated that I had to leave.

I was born in Shumen, a small town in Northeastern Bulgaria. When I was five years old my family decided to move to Istanbul, Turkey so that my father, a Turkish citizen who had been battling with cancer for a couple of years then, could get better treatment there. One year later, in 2004 my father passed away and my mother decided that we should return to Bulgaria as we had no means of support in Turkey. Since then I have been living in my home town, even though almost every summer I revisit Istanbul where my father is buried.