Personal Narrative: Who I Am Today

Throughout my life, many factors have influenced and shaped me into the young woman I am today. I am an active member of many cultures, and continue to learn and adopt numerous values, traditions, and morals from each. There are certain cultures people are born into, and others that are chosen by people at various stages of their life. Over the span of my nineteen years of life, I have been put into as well as voluntarily joined a combination of cultures which have instilled in me both positive and negative qualities. Cultures I was born into include the female culture, the Caucasian American culture, and my unique family culture. As for those which I have elected to become a member of include things such as the soccer culture, the Concordia

University Irvine culture, and the long term relationship culture. These have all impacted my life in some way and molded my physical appearance as well as my personality.
Out of the cultures I have been born into, the two I find most influential are the female culture and my family’s culture.

It is obvious that many things differ between males and females, and with this comes a differing set of values, morals, and traditions. One major way in which the female culture has impacted who I am is through the encouragement I received to express my feelings both verbally and nonverbally. This learned value of being comfortable communicating has taught me how I should solve social problems I encounter as well as allowing me to easily release stress by discussing my frustrations instead of holding them in. As a female it has also been taught to me that I should help people and do what is in favor of the majority. This collectivistic belief has led me to give up some things in order to allow for the majority to gain what they desire. Being a female also comes with its own expectations of what is right and important. For example, it is understood that being a lady does not only affect one’s verbal communication, but also their nonverbal communication. As a female I was taught the “right” way to sit, speak, and carry myself. It is looked down on if a female sits with her legs open or uses foul language, and for this reason I do my best to align myself with the expectations and ideas of the culture in order to express my shared

values.
The only thing I feel that directly impacts my life more than being a member of the female culture is being a part of my family’s culture.

From birth I have been taught morals and values which have gotten me to where I am presently. My mom stressed the importance of doing well in school while developing positive social skills, whereas my dad continually urged me to be an individual and stand up for myself. Due to their guidance, I have carried and practiced these values as I grew up and continue to do so. Within my small family, we are very comfortable with one another and it can be said that we have a smaller power distance than other households. Even though the power distance in my home may be small, my parents taught me to respect authorities and elders by demonstrating a larger power distance towards them. My parents also raised me into a family which has fluid gender roles. My mother and father both have full-time careers and have made it clear that I am expected to do the same when I have a family of my own. They, especially my mom, believe a husband and wife should be equals and take care of household duties as well as earning money to support the family. There are no set male and female roles in my house, instead everyone is expected to help out and work toward the common goal of the betterment of the family as a

whole.
The culture I chose which has most influenced my values is the athletic, specifically soccer, culture. I have played soccer since I was four years old and grew up unafraid of sweat and getting a dirty. This, like my parents, pushed me to value hard work and doing well in school. It ingrained in me the importance of teamwork which enhanced my collectivistic mindset for the team or in-group. Soccer taught me that although I was working within a team, I had to hold myself accountable for my mistakes and could not blame others for things in my control. This internal locus of control has carried over into my school work and other personal situations. Being an athlete has taught me to value fitness and treating my body with respect. It has also influenced my physical appearance and artifacts. I may not be playing college soccer anymore, but I have played long enough to integrate these values into my daily life and continue on with them as if I never stopped playing.
There are many more aspects of my cultural life which have come together to develop me into who I am. My family, gender, and athletic involvement are the top three cultures which have shaped me and my values. Firstly, from birth my family taught me how a family should live as one and how to respect myself as well as others. Secondly, my gender has given me a specific set of guidelines to learn and follow in order to fulfil the expectation of being a female. Lastly, my athletic involvement in a team sport such as soccer has furthered my development as a member of an in-group and enhanced my internal locus of control. If one of these aspects of my life were to be altered, there is no telling how different I would have turned out, and whether this change be for better or worse, I would never dream of another life.