I am Japanese. I am Hispanic. I am of Korean decent. I am white. I am Canadian. I don’t have a race or a culture. These statements are common examples of how many people view their race and identity. Even though many are unsure or unaware of what it really means to have a culture, we make claims about it everyday. Some feel they have a race, while others simply feel they do not. We include based on who fits into this ideal and exclude those who don’t. Our knowledge of culture, ethnicity and identity is subconsciously internalized on a daily basis through constant social interactions. Although there were many times I was surrounded by my own culture and race, it had taken me years to become comfortable within my own skin.
I grew up with two …show more content…
When I was seven I started going to Japanese school. Although there were times I didn’t enjoy the homework and getting up early on saturdays, the friendships I had made outweigh the negatives. The group of friends I made through the school helped me with my own identity while I was at the school on Saturdays. On top of going to Japanese school, visiting Japan helped me become more comfortable with my identity. Visiting my cousins and other relatives aided me in becoming connected with the culture. I also started attending school in Japan over the summer. Although the first year I went I was treated like a new specimen as I started going almost every summer, my classmates became a second family to me. Even when now although I stopped going to school long ago, I am still connected to my classmates. But when I came back home I felt out of place once again.
As I moved on to high school there was a shift from being ashamed of my race and culture to embracing it and wanting to showcase it. It was not overnight, and I don’t think that there was ever a time where I just changed like that. But I think that it was a process of just starting to become comfortable in my own skin. As I learned about the language and culture, I also learned more about myself. Over time I had come to value the friendships I had made during the years I studied at Japanese …show more content…
These two cultures has helped me be more open minded. Because I am not put into one race I feel as though I can openly see different ideas. There are time where I have felt stuck between the two cultures at times but through the years I am now able to push past the barrier and bring the cultures together. I try not to think of two cultures as a setback, but as an advantage of being able to participate in different celebrations and be a part of my American and Japanese friends. It is because I have chosen to surround myself with people that have the same values and ambitions as me, and that are educated, rather than just on the sole premise of race, that I have I truly come to slowly understand who I am and where I fit in. But also being surrounded by people who are not like me I now realize that those are the moments I should be proud of my heritage. Although I am comfortable with my identity today, I know that this is a life long process, and something that will continue to be defined and redefined long after my move into my later adult