Cultural Autobiography Essay

Cultural Biography How My Roots Shape My identityIt is often verbalise that we should non let a single feature of ourselves define who we are. For example, a hoops should not unaccompanied be an athlete, notwithstanding must also value her roles as a sister, a female child, a student, and anything else that gives her purport meaning. A doctor should not only focus on his identity in the medical field but also his place in his neighborhood, his church, and, of course, his family. Otherwise, he would be cerebrateed the workaholic. In roughly(prenominal) cases, though, it is very easy to do. Peoples identities are made up of each the roles they play in their lives. Defining mavinself or mostone else in only way is not healthy because it does not consider the full complexity the person. Thinking of ourselves in a limited way, such as if I considered myself only a student but did not consider my roles as a friend to new(prenominal)s and a family member, could triad to shall ow come backing. Thinking of others in such a way hobo result in stereotyping and notwithstanding discrimination, such as if several(prenominal)one thinks she k instantlys all she that needs to know about someone establish on his religious beliefs.Nonetheless, not all aspects of our identities contribute equally to the whole. Certain elements of our environment and background help to consideration us fundamentally. They bring cutm to serve as a base for everything else that we would learn, do, and become. I think everyone has one or two areas of that nature. For me, I think that one of the most defining traits about me is the stopping point I came from, which is Mainland Chinese. Although I keep an open mind and try to learn new ways of aspect at the world, the beliefs of my breeding often are dominant. If you asked me to describe who I am at my core, I would probably produce that I am a Chinese woman. Culture, of course, comes from the spate round us. As I see it, my f amily, including a boastfully lengthy family, has been the most influential community in shaping who I am today, because they passed on their culture to me.Often we do not realize what is our culture until we leave it. I canremember when I first arrived in America and stayed for a short time with a host family. They had a daughter who was 10 years old. She had a little cold at the time. She drank cold orange juice. I was so shocked that her mother allowed her to drink it. In my family, we note that cold drinks are not good for frantic hatful and that they can hurt the stomach. Many people in china think this way. I could near hear my own mothers voice in my head, scolding her disapproving of the cold drink. She and her sisters could never accept this. After hearing this idea for so some(prenominal) years, I, alike, was starting to entertain the same reaction. When people wanton flu or cold, in China the appropriate drink is thought to be hot water. I suggested to the gi rls mother that she should drink warm water. They both suddenly got a push back look on their faces. They said orange juice would be better because it has a lot of vitamin C to fight the germs. This was one of my first lessons in culture, both American and my own. For my part, I still do not worry to have very cold drinks. However, I do not make any proposal about what other people should drink.In explaining how my family has influenced me, I should discuss some basic elements about Chinese culture. It is collectivist culture, not individual culture bid America. That means that Mainland Chinese caller tends to see the assemblage as being more distinguished than the person. The question then is who is the group. Based on stereotypical western movies or shows, it would be easy to assume that nearly all Chinese act and look equivalent and that they would see themselves as one group. In fact, this is not true at all. Chinese people think in much smaller terms, most typically, an d would see their immediate family, including elders such as parents and grandparents, as their group. In some sense, they would also consider old friends and former and current co-workers to be part of their group. It is not so common in Mainland China to make legion(predicate) new friends as adulthood. People in China depend on these tight networks to help them in hard times, and they have to be ready to hark back the favor at some point in the future. Tight informal networks are very important for getting by in life in China.Chinese culture value family piety. It means we confide in a strong obligation to respect and honor our family members. I would forever and a day try my outperform to take care of my parents and also older relatives such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. In a broad sense, family members, because all consider themselves a close group, would do almost anything to help each other. As is said in English, they would take the shirt from his or her own back to give to the other person. This kind of thought is based on Confucianism, where pickings care of the family is considered to be the highest value. Unfortunately, a related matter is that sometimes in Mainland China, people are not as quick to get involved when a stranger needs help, and some people without integrity are quick to take advantage of strangers and cheat them. We also do not have as much public volunteer and charity culture, as many people would sprightliness guilty if they spend their silver on people who are outside their own family.The construct of taking care of the family is so important to culture that it is sometimes humorous to other people from other countries. I once was at dinner in a group that included both American and world-wide students. Some people were call on the carpeting about what they would do if they won the lottery. A Chinese boy said he guessed that if he won, he would soon get married, and have a child. His friend, another boy from China, commented that the money would not only last for the lifetime for him and his son, but also for generations into the future. The American boys at the table laughed at the Chinese boys ideas. They thought they should use the money for their own fun, and would not like to get married. However, the Chinese students were looking from Chinese point of view, where not only the individual but the entire family name and bloodline is considered. They see a responsibility to their ancestors and to future bloodline that they should have a child.Personally, I like the viewpoint of thinking about multiple generations and not only focusing on the present. I have always been raised(a) by my family to hold this point of view. Without a network of family and close friends, it is hard to survive in China, oddly during hard times several decades ago. It is not so easy to get credit, so people deposit on their networks to help them make a down payment for a house. Many people escape health insuranc e, and so if they needed and expensive surgery, they could perhaps ask their closest family and associates for help with money. Furthermore, in hospital, it is not like in America where nurses feed and bathe thepatients. In China, patients family members must help with those chores, and nurses usually would not help. As a result of these factors, Chinese people spend a lot of time cultivating their networks by choosing the right gifts on holidays, offering a helping hand when possible, and asking for help when needed. It is fair to maintain that in China, if you do not have close connections in your life, including family members, friends, coworkers, then it is almost like you do not exist, according to societys point of view.On the other hand, if you do have a family, then you feel much more secure and happy. You also get a large amount of money of your own identity from the group quite a from your individual situation. It is important to behave well in society and try to be suc cessful not only for your own sake, but also in set up to create a good name for your family. Therefore I think that sometimes even if I do not feel like watching sometimes, I push myself to do so anyway, because if I came to America and did not perfect well in university, then I would create a forged impression on my family, including parents and extended relatives, as well.In fact, Chinese people from Mainland often do not like to spend time alone or to be in secluded places. We tend to like crowds and a lot of excitement and perceive them as safer because it would be harder for criminals to get away with serious villainy amid a crowd. I felt strongly this way when I first arrived in America, but now I am getting used to peace and quiet. I have heard that Americans often like to go camping or fishing in order to get away from other people. This concept is a little different from China. I remember showing my mother a picture of our campus and she valued to know why it looked s o lonely. Later I took a photo when more students were out walking, and she seemed to feel much more comforted that I was in a safe place. On the other hand, some Americans have told me they think crowds are more dangerous, because it is easier for thieves to pick pockets or commit other crimes.My immediate and extended family has always been a source of much emotional support for me. My mother has several siblings and they each have children, so I have many aunts, uncles, and cousins. They always ask what I am doing in my life and they give me suggestions. They are not afraid to criticize meif they feel it is warranted, such as for eating too much junk foods or not studying hard enough. In Chinese culture, these comments would never be taken as offense but instead in a spirit of caring. I always spend much time finding appropriate Chinese New Year gifts for my aunts and uncles as a show of respect. Sometimes the gifts could be as simple as fruit baskets, chocolates, or cake. I pro ficient want to show them that I am thinking of them. My family, including parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, serves as my home base on life. I have always felt that no matter what happened, there is a safe haven with many people who always cared about me.Much of Chinese family culture is expressed over food. If I go to visit one of my aunts and she knew I am coming, then it is sure that she will prepare my favorite domed stadium dish. Caring is often expressed with food. From my mother and father and several of their siblings and my grandparents, I learned to cook many dishes at a young. I learned mostly at quite a young age. In this way, too, my family has been the biggest influence on my life, as now I cook almost every day and can take care of myself. I do not need to depend on others to cook and I do not have to go to restaurants except for fun. Over meals, much culture gets passed to children as adults talk about what is going on in their lives and how they handle it. They often give advice to children, but it seems to be that there is not as much two-way communications culture as in America and other Western countries. In other words, adults would not often ask children what they think about things.I am sure that I am not the only person who feels that family has been the largest influence in life, and certainly not the only Chinese person with this idea. In fact, when we are away from our families, we try to recreate the experience in some ways. In UC, there are many Chinese students all in the same situation, donjon away from their home country. We have formed friend groups and often cook together, go to restaurants, or go to other activities. At times, groups of students even go on vacation to New York or Chicago or other locations. As it is in China, most social activities for us here have revolved around eating food. We often chat, give each other advice, and try to help each other to study and make good grades. As vitamin and other health sup plements are very popular, we often discuss productsthat we have tried or plan to try. Everyone has similar goals and we almost do not even need to say them out loud, because they are widely known. We all come from similar kinds of families, usually involved in business. Everyone wants to make good grades, be successful, and make their parents happy.My friends are a very important group to me here, but in my overall life, I guess they are not nearly as influential to me as my relatives are. Chinese families were large for many years, sometimes with seven to 10 children. I know that my great grandmother came from a very large family. However, because of overpopulation, China has implemented the one-child policy. Although there are exceptions, the general rule is that only one child is allowed per couple. Now China is becoming a land of spoiled only-children. I often extol what will happen to Chinas family culture and if culture and knowledge will be passed down as efficiently. Many people grow up without uncles, aunts, cousins or, of course, siblings. This seems to be a significant social rationalize for a country whose character is still collectivist. Perhaps China will make the shift rather quickly to a culture of individualism.Or perhaps they will express collectivism in some other different formats, such as neighborhood groups and volunteer societies. At any rate, eventually insurrection population of people without close relatives to watch after them as they age will mean a need for more caregiving and health care professionals. There are many aspects that define my life, including my status as a student, family member, and friend. While these are important roles, they do not capture everything about who I am. unmatched element that runs deeper than those items is my culture, most of which I received from relatives. I grew up in China until coming to educate at UC. My thinking has certainly been influenced by the time I have spent living abroad, but i t nonetheless does continue to be Chinese at the heart. In a Chinese family, your family is almost literally all that you have to depend on in many cases. I am quite glad that I have a wonderful family.