(EDUC 6164 - Diversity & Equity) My Family Culture

If I lived through an experience such as a major catastrophe that has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of my country it would be shattering. Knowing that me and my immediate family were among the survivors and that we would be evacuating our country knowing that we would be transported to another country where their culture is completely different from our own would be something that words could not express. Being told that we could only take three small items that we hold dear to us that best represents our family culture would be a challenging and daunting task. My immediate family includes my husband, son, and daughter and I think that I would include them with choosing an item that is meaningful and that best represents our family culture. Together, my husband and I would choose a small photo album, my daughter said she would bring her stuffy, and my son would bring a small container of Lego.

My husband and I together would choose a small photo album that would include pictures that captured special moments that best portrayed our life together. It would include a photo from our childhood, a wedding photo and pictures of our children and other family members and the things we have done together throughout the years. The pictures in this small photo album would not let us forget who we are, where we came, and what best represents our family culture. My son is extremely creative and we have always supported his creativity especially when it comes to building Lego. He just turned 13 and he wants to be a Lego designer when he grows up, so he said he would bring Lego so he would not forget how about much he loves to build things. My daughter had a harder time as she has so many skills and talents ranging from gymnastics, knitting, sculpting, but looking beyond that,  she said that she would bring her stuffy named, “Buddy” who she got when she was a baby. This stuffy is her “go to” when she is happy or sad.

Once we arrived at our host country we were told that we could only keep one item and that we had to give up the other two items that we brought with us. I know this would be challenging, but I think as a family we would have to think objectively about what we should keep. As much as we would love to keep the Lego and “Buddy” these would be the two items that we would choose to leave behind. The photo album has memories about our family culture that will ensure that we won’t forget our family culture. As my children get older I would be afraid that they may forget their culture and not remember what made our family culture so special. The photos would help to keep the memories alive. I know my children would be saddened that they would have to leave what they brought behind, but they would understand the importance remembering who we are.

This exercise made me realize how important my family culture is and how crucial it is to have something that I hold close to my heart that best represents my family that no one could take away from me. I think I will now take more time to look at the little things that surround me and have a better understanding how they help to foster my family diversity.