Culture of One

As a child, I always had questions about where I came from and what set me apart from other children. My mother used to always tell me, "You should be proud of your heritage and appreciate how fortunate you are to live a free life". At the time, it never really registered and I could never understand why my life was so free compared to that of others. As I grew older, and more knowledgeable of my family history, I began to realize just how free I actually was. As a 2nd generation Asian American I learned much of what life was like from my moms experience outside of the country. Maturing with each year throughout my youth, the depth and detail of her stories and experiences grew as she taught me life lessons from personal experience to help guide my future, pointing it in the right direction. Family is everything to me. Hearing my mother describe the hardships within her own immediate family made me appreciate mine even more. Its hard for a child to want to listen to what their parents have to say, especially because it usually involves obedience which breaks the standard code of what it means to be a child. I admit, I was the same way with my parents, thinking every lesson they had taught me was scolding. However, now that I am older and more insightful, I take every word my parents have to say to heart, especially if it is motivational advice or advice on life. Shadowing my parents, I have learned that "money is not something that grows on trees" and "you must work your way to the top in order to be successful", just as my mother and her mother and father did in Vietnam. I have learned that "patience is a virtue" and "quitting will only exemplify failure", just like my dad would say when he was competing in sports and life. All these quotes have stuck with me and continue to shape my day to day decisions and I believe, will always stick with me through thick and thin. The person I am today, is without a doubt, a reflection of my parents and what I strive to emulate.

Although my parents have greatly impacted me and who I am as a person, so has my experiences. When examining all or any of the experiences in a persons lifetime it is nearly impossible that one can say it has not effected them in some way, shape, or form. For me, experience is everlasting memories of turning points in my life that which have altered the way I think or perceive situations and choose to construct decisions. Only recently had I taken the opportunity to travel to the country of Peru during the summer and get a taste of a whole nether world from the one I was used to. The experience alone was unlike any other, as my one traveling partner and I were overwhelmed with feelings of independence but also overwhelmed with reality. The reality in Peru was that people were poor. In fact, the majority of Peru was poor. Compared to the United States, communities were in need of infrastructure and in need of money. The majority of homes were windowless and in dire need of major upgrades to modernistic styles. Mud roofs were very common and also very fragile. Buildings were left unfinished with rebar steel protruding from its rooftops and sides. Stray dogs roamed the cities rampantly almost leveling out the human to dog ratio. Pollution settled in thick pockets of smog above the cities. City water was considered unsafe to drink because pipelines were rusted and out of date. Violence was so common that following traffic laws and regulations were the least of worries. Roads were half paved if even that and garbage lie up and down the streets. To my travel friend and I, these conditions were unbearable and in many cases unlivable, but to the many Peruvians it was all they knew and somehow they seemed content. Realizing this, I had never understood more what my mother meant by feeling fortunate for how lucky I am to live a life I do. Traveling to Peru taught me first hand, just how different living conditions can be, whether its in the City of Lima, Peru or Vancouver, Washington where I am from. Now I do everything in my power to be a person who does not take things for granted and tries to see the positives in the worst of situations.

All that I have learned and all that has effected me personally roots back to my heritage. In the beginning of my time, nothing has shaped me most than knowing who I am and where I came from. To be a mix of half White and half Vietnamese was quite the experience growing up. Ever since I can remember, I was spending summers on the east coast in Maine with my Christian grandparents eating lobster and roasting s'mores on the fire by their small materialistic cabin and spending winters with my Buddhist grandparents eating spring rolls(Goi cuon) while watching Vietnamese television, entirely uncomprehending to myself, as we celebrated what seemed like a Vietnamese style Christmas. Having these awkward transitions from one part of my family to the next taught me a lot of respect for different cultures. Knowing to take every religion seriously when entering the home of those who practice it is something I am fully aware of and can always respect because it is something I have done all my life. Adding to that note, having two practicing religions readily allowed me to develop a mixture of different believes of my own. It isn't easy choosing a set religion when your family is split down the middle, so I had adopt practices and beliefs from each religion and in a way creating my own. This has helped set me apart as a person and challenged me to live a unique life that I can be proud of.