Map of My Cultural Identity

Kaitlyn M. Rodriguez

Personal Culture Pt.1

Cultural connections

If there was definitely one connection between the stories we have read in class and my culture it would have to be needing to do my absolute best even when my 'best' does not seem good enough. No one on my dad's side of the family has ever gone to college and/or has a good job so I am required to do my best in school and go to college to have a brighter future. So I am constantly being pushed to do better.

I have been shown that we should spend every waking moment being grateful for what we have, cherish the moments you spend with your family/friends and even in the worst situations try to remember to stay positive. During Cinco de Mayo we don't mourn over the ones we have lost, we celebrate for their past and in doing that we look back at all the events and memories we have shared as a family. even though the ones we loved are not with us, we must spend our lives living to the fullest for them.

Cultural Foods

Music/Art

-Tamales

-Posole

-Mashed Potatoes and Green beans

-Hawaiian Pizza

For the most part, other than the usual Mexican music at parties, my family really takes part in a little bit of everything. Sports are heavily played on my dad's side of the family while my mom's side is more artistically creative.

Traditions

The only tradition that I can think of that my mom's family take part in is when we celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter

While on my dads side of the family we celebrate the same thing with the exception of Quinceanera's which is a girls 15th birthday and Cinco de Mayo where we take the time to give gifts to each other and have a ceremony of remembrance for the loved ones who have passed.

Conflict due to my Cultures

I have grown up through the confusion of wondering why my parents were so different and in that it may also be confusing to explain to people that I don't just have one culture, or because they don't know I am part Mexican they may assume I don't do certain things. Like for example, because I'm white people might not expect me to know certain mexican foods or even the language itself.

Dynamic of my family/Culture

Since my parents are split up when I was younger I have literally had to go back and forth between two different cultures for many years, which can be quite hard at times. Growing up it was confusing because the households I was raised in were different, from the language to the way everyone interacted with one another.

Personal Culture Pt.2

Symbols

Other than crosses that are displayed in my grandparents home, there's not that many symbols/signs that I'm aware of that are important to my culture.

My mother and I have a different culture, we don't celebrate all of the same traditions but because I am her child we have come to learn that although we have differences we can also become more aware of each other's traditions and even take part in them.

My Ethnicity

I consider myself to be Mexican American, I am half White and half Mexican. I grew up in two different cultures, because my parents are different from each other. My dad's parents were born and raised in Mexico, my dad however was not. My mom was born and raised in Georgia til the age 12, then she moved to Florida. My dad grew up in a more traditional mexican household while my mom grew up in a more southern household.

Map of My Cultural Identity

Kaitlyn M. Rodriguez