My Family Culture

I am embarking on a new journey in my 6th grad class, Perspectives on Diversity and Equity. This week in class we had to post a response to a scenario, discussing key points of our responses to this scenario. The scenario is as follows:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of the catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country's culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.


In response to this scenario we must answer the following questions…
1. A description of the three items you would choose.
2. How you would explain to others what each of these items mean to you.
3. Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two things
4. Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise.



If I could only choose three items to take with me to my new home, I would choose my ring, an album of family photos, and my softball glove. The ring I am referring to is a ring my best friend bought for each of the girls in our group of friends for Christmas in High School. This ring was purchased for us as a gesture to keep us connected and strong after we discovered one of our best friends was diagnosed with Leukemia. Less than a year later, my best friend who purchased this ring suddenly passed away, shortly followed by the passing of my friend who had Leukemia, all during my senior year of high school. This ring represents my love and friendship with these two angels and without it I do not feel complete. It reminds me of happy times, good memories, love, friends, family. It ties all important things in my life together and I have not gone a day without wearing it for the past 10 years.

The second item I would choose is a photo album filled with pictures of my loved ones, including my boyfriend, my dog, my family, and my friends. This is a treasured item as I would be able to carry them all with me along with the memories to get through the tough road ahead, especially if I had lost any of them in the process of this catastrophe. The third and final item I would choose is my softball glove. The reasoning behind this is that I come from a very sports oriented family and most of my memories growing up are surrounded by this glove. I have fond memories with my dad, brother, mom, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, and grandparents. This is one of my passions and hobbies and would be a great outlet during stressful times.

If I were to be told I could only keep one of the items, I would be completely devastated. It would already be difficult to choose just three items and lose so many loved ones in such a catastrophe. If I had no other option but to keep one item only from the aforementioned list, I would choose my ring. The ring represents so many things in my life and has such a deep meaning that would keep me connected to my loved ones at all times and is something I could keep with me at all times everyday.

After completing the readings and viewings this week, I have taken the concept of culture and diversity into deep consideration. Prior to this week, I had not seriously considered something such as a dynamic culture and family culture. I had not previously taken time to consider where I fall in regards to these cultures. I have gained a better insight and understanding about the meaning of each of these cultures and where I stand within them, as well as how to promote tolerance and acceptance and understanding within early childhood for children who fall within varying cultures.

Until next time...