Reflective Essay On My Cultural Identity
I am a unique individual with my own cultural identities. At an early age, I became aware of my ethnicity and how different I am compared to other individuals that identified themselves as Hispanic. My experiences have molded my cultural development and my ideas about what culture means. I believe culture is a group of people that share common interests, costumes, and ideologies. In addition, the word culture implies the individual identify themselves with a specific ethnic group and complies by their beliefs. Throughout my cultural proficiency class, I have come to realize that I have different cultural components that have build the person I am today. My family history has a strong influence in the formation of my cultural identity. The hardships
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My parents are from El Salvador, therefore I do share many of the Salvadorian customs, so I identify as a Salvadorian/American. El Salvador is also called El Pulgarcito, which means a “tiny thumb.” Even though El Salvador is considered a tiny country, it is enriched with a unique cultural heritage. While growing up my mother cooked as daily meals plantains with beans and eggs, or she would cook atol de elote; which is a thick drink made out of corn, and she would cook pupusas. As a child, I did not notice why my mom cooked Salvadorian food rather than American food. In my mind, I thought everyone ate the same food at home. I became more aware of these differences when my church had a multicultural food festival. Every member of the congregation was asked to bring the typical food of their country. I was around eleven years old when my mother mentioned that we she was going to teach me how to cook pupusas. I remember my mother taking me to the grocery store to buy Maseca, which is corn flour. My mother explained to me in detail which condiments we needed to cook the pupusas. This experience was eye opening and I will never forget how impressed I was when the people of my church ate the pupusas we cooked. In addition, attending the festival allowed me to learn about others cultures. I valued the differences of my Salvadorian culture compared to Nicaraguans, Mexican,
My parents are from El Salvador, therefore I do share many of the Salvadorian customs, so I identify as a Salvadorian/American. El Salvador is also called El Pulgarcito, which means a “tiny thumb.” Even though El Salvador is considered a tiny country, it is enriched with a unique cultural heritage. While growing up my mother cooked as daily meals plantains with beans and eggs, or she would cook atol de elote; which is a thick drink made out of corn, and she would cook pupusas. As a child, I did not notice why my mom cooked Salvadorian food rather than American food. In my mind, I thought everyone ate the same food at home. I became more aware of these differences when my church had a multicultural food festival. Every member of the congregation was asked to bring the typical food of their country. I was around eleven years old when my mother mentioned that we she was going to teach me how to cook pupusas. I remember my mother taking me to the grocery store to buy Maseca, which is corn flour. My mother explained to me in detail which condiments we needed to cook the pupusas. This experience was eye opening and I will never forget how impressed I was when the people of my church ate the pupusas we cooked. In addition, attending the festival allowed me to learn about others cultures. I valued the differences of my Salvadorian culture compared to Nicaraguans, Mexican,