My Family Culture

 

If a major catastrophe hit and completely devastated the infrastructure of my country and I was a survivor and had to move to a completely different country and might have to live there permanently.  The three small items that I would take with me that I hold dear and represent my family culture would be (exluding family/son): 

 

1.  All of my photo albums with pictures of my family and friends

2.  The Holy Bible that was given to me by my grandmother at an early age

3.  Supply of paper and pens to write down everything I did and saw throughout my journey

I would explain to others that these three items means a lot to me.  I love to take pictures and collect photos (old and new).  There are so many memories in a photo, pictures of my son, my family and also my close friends.  I don’t want to forget these memories and always keep them near my heart.

Taking my grandmother’s Holy Bible also means a great deal to me.  She gave me that Bible when I graduated from high school and I continue to read it and go by it.  This is where I get my strength and wisdom, from reading the Bible.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me

Philippians 4:13

I can’t lose staying in touch with my family and friends.  I will write down what I see and what I do on a daily basis, so when we do reunite, I will have an awesome story to tell.  I love to talk about different sights and people I met along the way.

Upon arrival and I have to give up two of my personal items and keep one, they would be the paper and pencils and the photo album. This will be so much pain in leaving behind my pictures of my family and friends.  I do know, the Holy Bible will continue to guide me and give me the strength that I most definitely need in times like these. 

I also did gain some insight about myself during this exercise, along with my family culture and cultural differences.  It really made me realize the importance of material things verse the importance of my family and friends.  Just the thought about moving to another country, away from my friends and family would break my heart.  This really makes me want to re-evaluate my priorities of what comes first in my life.  I don’t like to take things for granted, but some things you cannot change.

“We have the ability to achieve, if we master the necessary goodwill, a common global society blessed with a shared culture of peace that is nourished by the ethnic, national and local diversities that enrich our lives.”

Mahnaz Afkhami (Iranian-American Human rights activist; b. 1941)