« Genie | Main | Seeing Essay- First Draft »
October 02, 2005
My Culture Rewrite
My Culture—Smallest State, Fictional Heroes, & America Rewrite
It is hard for me to describe my culture because it is comprised of so many things. So many people, places, and things have contributed to me being me, and I probably don’t even know them all. But, there are a few overwhelming factors that played (and still are playing) a huge part in forming me.
Firstly, growing up in the smallest state and, I believe, the most unique place in the world has done indescribable things for me. At first glance, it is hard to tell the difference between Rhode Island and any other state in the United States. But, when you look closer, Rhode Island is so unique and growing up there is unlike growing up anywhere else. Everything about Rhode Island is so extreme. The weather is like no other place, I boil every summer, freeze every winter, and everything else in between. Providence is like any other city: tall, busy, and daunting buildings fill a metropolis with everything you could ever want. Narragansett is like any other beach town: rows and rows of three room shacks threatening to tumble down if one more toddler runs through their rooms. Burriville is like any other small, secluded town: there’s no cell phone reception and if you’re born in Burriville you die in Burriville. But the extraordinary part is that all of these extremes fit into such a small state, small enough for us to experience it all. In no other place can a five-year-old boast he has been to and can name every town in the state. Thirteen-year-old girls can name every mall and shopping strip and all hopeful sixteen-year-olds compete to see who has driven on every highway in the state.
It is this notion of closeness and comfortableness that has been so important for me. I am really comfortable with myself as a person, but I am also very comfortable with everything and everyone around me because I grew up that way. This is not to say that new situations and different people do not intimidate or scare me. They do. But, I think that growing up in such a small, comfortable place has helped me to achieve the intimacy needed to adopt new people and situations.
Another part of my culture that is very closely related to this notion of closeness and comfortableness is my very family-oriented life. My mother spearheads this effort by making sure that my entire family (my father, seventeen-year-old sister, eleven-year-old brother, and I) always eats dinner together. In the past few years, this has resulted in us eating dinner somewhere between 8:00 and 10:00. Although some people role their eyes and shake their heads, we feel confident about eating together even at this late hour. My mother is also a firm believer in day trips, which my friends like to call “Brenna’s Historical Town Trips”. We go on a day-trip about once a month, whether it is to a museum, historical place of interest, or any other interesting area. Although I complain because I want to go out with my friends, or go to work, or do homework, I really enjoy these trips. It is one of the things I miss most about being away from my family at college.
The other part of my culture that has made a big difference for me is being a reader. My mother read out loud to my sister and I until we entered into high school, and even then we stopped reading together mainly out of necessity, not choice. When I was ten, I would read three or four books at a time, each different people, and each in different situations, yet I would dive into each as if I was a dog in the desert. I still do the same, yet I only read one book at a time. (Or maybe two at the most!) Books, although inanimate and unfeeling have been so much for me. Their characters have let me into a world I could have never entered previously. They act as role models, heroes, and allow me to take the best part of them and make it a part of me.
Many people believe that their nationality is a very important part of their culture. In my case, this is not true. Although I do not think that I neglect my Irish and Italian culture, I really see myself as a true American. I am an American, with all the freedoms and restrictions, privileges and losses that this word connotes. I have been so lucky to always have food in my stomach and a roof over my head. Although recent events in the United States have made many doubt the country they live in, being an American is just so strong a belonging that it is one I could never dismiss. Being an American has made me who I am and helped me become who I am today.
Posted by lciscotis at October 2, 2005 05:51 PM