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Factors affecting cultural diffusion
Factors affecting cultural diffusion
Factors affecting cultural diffusion
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As a child of strict, reserved Guyanese parents, I grew up fearful of the outside world. My parents worked very hard to be successful in this country. They wanted the best for me, but they were worried that I’d be influenced by the wrong people. According to them, the only people worth associating with, were people who could be beneficial to me. This meant people who they considered studious, goal oriented, quiet, and hard working - people who didn’t get in trouble; people who didn’t make mistakes. Unfortunately, this meant that no one was ever good enough to be associated with. To meet my parents’ standards, I chose to be reserved. In doing this, I gained skill in my attention to detail and the ability to form opinions of people on more …show more content…
than just first impressions. Unfortunately, I grew hesitant in my social interactions - especially in school. For years, I found myself isolated and mostly mute. By the time I got to high school, I was doing well in school - solid grades, quiet, few friends and dutiful.
My parents beamed with joy, however, I suffered. I was tired of being alone, unheard and unseen. Instead of being at the back of the classroom, I chose to sit in the front. Instead of choosing to block out others ideas, I took note and tried to incorporate them into my work. I took initiative and put myself out there more by speaking during discussions, and by challenging ideas, I embraced a community I had originally blocked out due to fear. I ended up challenging myself, and my parents. These decisions clashed with my parents’ teachings and our relationship grew strain. They were displeased with the idea of me focusing on anything other than my education, it caused them to get defensive about anyone I knew or tried to hang out with. However, my confidence grew and I learned to speak and handle conversations, I didn’t struggle trying to speak as badly as I previously had and I built a safety net for myself emotionally. When it came to my parents, speaking to them emotionally had always been difficult. Telling them about my emotions was showing weakness or femininity, both things my parents didn’t expect in their son. In Guyanese culture there is a huge emphasis on what a man does and how he lives, he should avoid women's work like cooking and cleaning, and focus on being out with the guys and working on the fields (my mother comes from farming background). My …show more content…
parents expectations however couldn’t be met since I was in America, where you could think and be however you wanted. My parents’ opinions were not mine. I didn’t believe men and women had prepositioned lives, I believed anyone could do as they wanted, live as they wanted. By emphasising my beliefs and speaking out more when it came to what I wanted to do as opposed to what culture wanted me to do I was able to set my own path instead of following the ignorance of my parents. Through my development, my family adjusted mindsets to realize that anyone can succeed as long as they excelled in something they want to do.
Though I wasn’t as culturally appropriate as they hoped, I was an achiever in other ways. I know my parents mean well. Their culture calls forth that the next generation be greater than theirs. It’s through the growing cultural diffusion that they and I adjust in this ever changing cultural identity. As I gained understanding as to the effects of my actions, I felt as though I was a passage for my parents in their lives so that they could maintain their cultural ideals while shifting with the generational change as
well.
Growing up Haitian, it’s the cultural norm for the parents to depend on the oldest to care for the youngest and household needs. At the young age of eight years old, my parents taught me responsibility and how to humble myself. They depended on me while they both worked long hours, my mother as a Certified Nursing Assistant and my father as a truck driver. When my parents were growing up in Haiti, they were the lucky ones to have the opportunity of going to school to gain an education. Haiti is a poor country and poverty is at an all-time high still to this day. So my parents strived to live the American dream and moved from Haiti to Miami and planted within my brother and me the seed to dream big and make a difference. Thanks to my family
Growing up in Jamaica, I enjoyed worship. I remembered looking forward to church. We clapped our hands and stomped our feet and made a joyful noise unto the Lord. We didn't have keyboards and drums. We clapped and sounded like timbrels. I remembered when I learned to testify and it helped me and several others to build our confidence. I would sing in the local churches when they have special events. I watched young people being filled with the Holy Ghost and I wanted it so badly that I would pray and ask God to give it to me. I remembered watching my mother and my sister speak in tongues and I so wanted to do it.
Almost twenty years ago, around this time of the month, you had a baby girl on November twenty-six. Like every parent you are happy, smiling at the baby, holding my hands and taking pictures. I grew up, stood up, walked for the first time, said my first words, and lost my baby teeth. It’s time for me to go to my first day of school; you don’t want me to go because you got use to my presence in the house. Meanwhile, you are low-key wishing for me to stay a baby girl, when you know perfectly that it isn’t going to happen.
Halfway through dinner I decided to tell them. “That 's great baby, you know we support you no matter what,” says my Mom. As I bring out the numbers for college tuition, their faces seem to changed from excited to nervous. “I cannot afford that, honey,” says my Dad quietly, being unemployed then. That upset me because I was determined to follow my dreams.
At the age of two my parents made the long and devastating journey to bring me and my siblings to the United States from Mexico. Wanting a brighter future for us, my parents fought tooth and nail to give us the world they didn’t grow up having. Ever since stepping foot on the U.S soil, going back seemed impossible. The effects of this life-changing move, couldn’t mask the unforeseen disadvantages. Lacking exposure to Mexico’s colorful culture, little to no bonding time with my family from abroad, and the struggle of trying to blend into an environment that was so different, soon began to interfere with my overall identity. Realizing this, my wonderful parents prepared a transformative trip back to my homeland, and back to the past, facing
“I am a first generation immigrant and a woman, but I don't really write about that because I feel like I'm a human being. There are universal human experiences.” (“Evelyn Rodriguez”). As a first generation woman myself, I can relate to the notion that I am more than my background. While there are universal experiences people go through, my cultural experience is something that sets me apart from others. I believe that it is essential for me to find the balance between assimilating into American culture while keeping my cultural identity.
My parents were ordinary people who escaped the claws of communism to seek a desired life in America. Before me, there were two people whose bravery could be admired—my parents. I own them the outcome of my life. I got to receive a education unfamiliar to my parents. Because of them, this is how I came out. This is who I am.
Watching me suffer with prolonged hunger, while maintaining my gratitude for the simple things in life, spawned in my parents a deep motivation to move on. Despite having nothing to eat, I felt thankful and was always happy to attend school, reveling in the peaceful moments of my childhood. Recognizing this unique quality, my parents promised that they would one day take me to a place where hard work could lead to a better future. In a world where our demise seemed inevitable, my parents managed to realize this dream by emigrating to the United States just before I tuned eight years old. Although they left me behind with my grandmother, they promised to find a way for me join them in the
My family is very different and has different views than most average American families. My family and I moved to the United States from Albania when I was the mere age of two. My parents didn’t speak any English when we landed in America. However, they strived for a better living situation for my brother and I, which I am thankful for every day. My parents didn’t expect me to do well in school and attend college so, they didn’t bother to take me to music classes or dance classes like other moms would do with their children. I would always be the child that didn’t fit in which in away forced me to do well in school. On the other hand I think my parents held me back from the opportunities I could’ve had. If they were to put me in piano classes
I was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. My mother was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States to continue her education when she was in her mid- twenties. My father is from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. My parents have different cultures, and as a result they have completely different backgrounds. When I was growing up, I had a hard time reconciling these different cultures. It was difficult for me and my sister to know what to do in many social situations because our primary schema (our parents) would act completely different in similar social situations. When I would ask my parents for advice, they would give me contrasting suggestions. As I grew older, I started to realize that both my parents were right, even if they acted like opposites.
...tivities that I chose to do, I slowly began to fall into place, on my own. I believe that its very important for parents to be open minded when it comes to gender. Looking back at my own situation, my parents followed the norms in the beginning and forced me into a realization that I wasn’t ready for. Therefore, as a young child, I did the only thing I could and rebelled. However, as they began to change and let me make my own decisions I got right back on track. I grew into a woman, and the previous experience helped me become my own person. Because of my father, I was determined to be my own individual, an independent and powerful woman. That was my number one priority growing up and I contribute a lot of my later success to that previous attitude.
Growing up my mom and dad always showed us unconditional love. They shaped us to learn the right from the wrong and the importance of education. They related the troubles we experienced in America theirs in South America and how education primarily is the root to being successful in America. My dad would always say “we never had the opportunities you all have in America so don’t let it slip away”. Besides education, they taught us that money is easier spent then earned so to value a dollar. The upbringing in life that they had was very hard living and all the struggles they experience moving to a new country just to provide a better living environment for their kids. In their country beating your kids was known to put way word kids straight. My brother and I can contest to those beating but it made us into good kids. We didn’t give into the peer pressure of other kids in school and we learned to walk away from trouble instead of fighting. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t angels but we stayed out of the ways of trouble. I commend my parents for the person I’ve become and the independence they instilled in my life today. I’ve used the knowledge to shape the person I want to be and some day the mother I want to be for my kids. My parents brought me up with the foundation of kindness, humbleness, and understand with a strong spiritual Christian background. Their parenting styles
Growing up in a single parent household I had a good relationship with my mother. Being that I am the youngest out of three, one would think that I had it easy. Many lessons were learned from my sibling past discrepancies. I had a stern but loving upbringing. My mother felt that she had to display an authoritarian manner since she was the only parental figure in my life. Making the same mistakes twice was out of the question. Now that stern manner did not affect the social part of my life. I have always been a friendly and outgoing especially to all that have formed a close bond with me. Everyone has to deal with peer pressure sometime or another. I was always one to think on my own, a leader some may say. I was not really concerned about how others viewed me, for what I did or did not do. My concerns were more personal appearance and body image issues. Typical of many teenage girls. Aside from that I have always found myself surround by positive people that demonstrated similar characteristics.
Our parents work hard to get us where we are today. Due to the fact that my parents had lack of education and there English wasn 't that good they wasn’t able to get a job that was more relaxing. Though they work in company only they were able to earn enough to raise all of us. Through nurture, now that I’m older I don’t exactly see all the struggles that my parent had gone through to raise me, but I do see and understand more about the struggles. Their love for us, nothing can compare to it. Seeing what my parents had gone through and how hard they have work inspired me to work hard, go to school get a good job so in the future they can depend on me and just rest.
When I left my room, my mother knew that I had gone through a rough time, and I did not want to talk to her about it. Even though there was only a month left in my school year, I promised myself that I would be completely truthful to my friends, my family, my heritage, and myself. I expected all my friends to leave me, but I was fully prepared for this. However, none of this ever happened. My friends didn’t leave me, I wasn’t alone at the lunch table, I wasn’t even seem differently by those around me. I had failed my family by doing this, and I wished I had stopped acting like someone I wasn’t sooner. This is one of the only mistakes I have made which I consider a failure because it had taken me close to a year to fix, and this is why I consider it my most successful failure.