Culture Bio Paper
Firstly, believing that is the way to characterize someone can create stereotyping and discrimination. For example, if someone feels they know all that they hope to understand about an individual based on their spiritual beliefs. Not all factors of our individualities partake equally to the self. Certainly, there are things of our surroundings and knowing that support to change us fundamentally. For example, relationships and experiences help shape our identity as we age. These factors that change us appear to perform as a source for what we know, accomplish, and come to be. I believe that one of the characterizing aspects of me is my culture, which is Haitian Creole. I always try to put all my efforts into learning new ways of looking at the world, but the moralities of how I was taught to do things often are important. When having the chance to clarify who I am, the majority of the time I would say I am a Haitian woman. Culture comes from the population around us. So, when I look around me all I see is family, involving an extended distanced family, which is influential in shaping who I am today, because of the culture that was passed down to me.
It is said often you do not know your own culture until you abandon it. Remembering my first travel outside my measures where I stayed with a friend of mine. She had a teenage daughter who was 17. She asked can she go to a party and my friend answered yes without questioning her. I was shocked because she allowed her to go out at that age with no supervision or questions. Within my culture, we feel that allowing your children to do whatever they want will result in bad things or is dangerous to the being. Many people within the Haitian culture think this way. I could basically hear my own mother’s voice in my head, punishing her and not allowing her to go to the party. After seeing this reaction so many times, I also started to have the same outcome. When people have children, in Haiti the appropriate parenting is believed to be strict parenting. I advised my friend that she should be more cautious about where her daughter is going even though she may think she is responsible. She suddenly felt away and said letting her daughter free helps her become more responsible and allows her to correct her mistakes. I can say at that moment, was one of my first lessons in culture, in American culture, and in my own culture. I do believe both parenting methods will help the child in some way in life. However, I still will not make any suggestions about how other people should parent.
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Second, clarifying the manners how my family influenced me, I should refer to some of the important things of Haitian Creole culture. Growing up as a Haitian – American my ethnic/cultural heritage has impacted my way of thinking, my behaviors, and values. Haiti’s entire background as a whole has been a major part of my life. Haitians greatly value education for their children to the point where they view education as a priority in their children’s lives and their lives as well. Haitians understand how having an education is the foundation for prosperity because the effort of completing college pays off, it is viewed as shaping one’s career and mindset. However, not having an education is looked down upon since it’s considered a disappointment to your ancestors, and people view it as being incompetent. We believe that your successes and or failures in life reflect on your family as a whole. Growing up on such a belief it was important to get good grades and even awards in grade school.
It is a communist culture, not an egoistic culture like America, which means that the Haitian Creole community looks to see the community as being bigger than the individual. The question then is who is the group? Through stereotypical beliefs, some assume that all Haitian act and look similar and that they would see themselves as one group. This is not true at all, Haitian people think in smaller terms, and would see their dependable family members, including elder as their group. They will also allow former friends and current co-workers to be part of their group. It is not so common in Haiti, to make multiple new friends in adulthood. People in Haiti depend on these safe relationships to help them during difficult times and also have to be willing to pay back the aid at some point.
Close casual relationships are crucial for getting by in life in Haiti. Haitian culture values family decency, and it means we understand that in a healthy commitment we have to love and cherish our family members. I would always try my best to take care of my parents and also older relatives such as aunts and uncles. Because all family members consider themselves a close group and will do almost anything to help each other. Unfortunately, a similar matter is that sometimes in Haiti, people are not as quick to get involved when a stranger needs help, and some people without morality are quick to take advantage of strangers and cheat them.
Thirdly, the assumption of showing respect to the family is so vital to the culture that it is sometimes ridiculous to other cultures, from other countries. When I attended a party with a group of friends that included Americans and other students from different countries. There was a group having an open conversation about what their plans were for the future and if they won wealth. A Haitian American girl said she imagined that in the future she will start a family of her own, and have a child. If she won money in the future she will pass it along to generations of her family in the future, planning a generational wealth for her family. There was an American boy at the table who laughed at her ideas. He thought since they are young planning to get married and have children should not be a part of their plans. And that she should use the money for her own pleasures not plan a marriage or family. Though, the Haitian girl was looking from a Haitian cultural point of view, where she does not only see herself but the entire family name and roots are concluded. In Haitian culture, you are to see a commitment to their roots and to a future that is promising. I feel like the idea of thinking about many families and not only focusing on the present is a great way of viewing things in life. And by my family, I am promising to hold this view of life. Without a structure in the family, it is hard to survive in Haiti, mostly in hard times. It is not simple to gain credit, so people depend on their structures to help them make down payments.
Lastly, belonging to a culture means a lot and allows you to find your true identity. Accepting the main element of self, which includes an understanding of membership in an ethnic group and the belief and perceptions connected to that membership. Involves the shared values, traditions, history, experiences, and behaviors that are traditional. Connecting to a social group is meaningful, it benefits in identifying who you are, your attitudes, and your importance. Like any culture, Haitians regularly interact with one another on the basis of shared expectations. The Haitian culture is big on helping family and close friends, there is a saying that describes this behavior, they would take the shirt from their own back to give to the other person.
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