Personal Essay: My Vietnamese Cultural Experience

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Tôi tự hào là việt. If you’re not of Vietnamese descent and even if you are familiar with the Vietnamese language, then you will most likely find trouble reading this, why? Because, this is a translation from Google. Nonetheless, it’s not the best interpretation available, but it roughly translates to “I am proud to be Vietnamese”. Despite me using Google translate--due to my lack of knowledge in writing in Vietnamese--which I am surely ashamed of, I hold that statement dear to my heart. As I continue to mature and progress in my life, my appreciation for my heritage is like a seed, everyday cultural experiences such as listening to Vietnamese music, eating wonderful Vietnamese cuisine, talking to my mother in Vietnamese, and reading about …show more content…

This was, in part, due to the surrounding community and the traditions that come with it. Along with being Christian, being Vietnamese defines who I am and my love for it grows every day. However, this immense gratitude of mine wasn’t always the case. In fact,when I was younger, I was ashamed of who I was before I came to the realization of how beautiful my culture is. This was ultimately due to the rough environment that I grew up in as well as receiving scrutiny because how different I was in comparison to everybody …show more content…

Around that time I was introduced to a Vietnamese community that helped me become less of who I was before and more of a stronger person than I was before. I started to become proud of who I was which led to me welcoming myself to all aspects of my culture by being immersed in music and books. In the summer of 2014, I went to Vietnam and it was overwhelming to experience the joy, pain, and struggle that my mother and extended family had gone through. Subsequently, my culture has become an advantage because it gave life to a lost soul like me; something can depend on for the rest of my

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