My Family Culture

     This assignment really touched my heart. I could accept the catastrophe and having to move. I was glad to read that my immediate family is among those who will be evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. As I continued to read on and saw where I had to decide on three small items that I could take I immediately knew that I would take my bible because it represented what I believed in. Since I did not know what country I would be going to I was not sure there would be a copy of the bible I could read. The second item that I wanted to take was my passport/birth certificate. Although I might not ever have the opportunity to leave the country I still wanted to have my proof of citizenship just in case I did get the chance to go back home one day. My third item I had to think about and I finally decided that I would take family pictures. My reason for the pictures is to keep the memories of my family in my mind. These pictures are my family, they way we dress, where we lived at, what we eat, our hairstyles, and our life. Through these pictures I might be able to share with other cultures our way of living.

     Learning that I would only be able to keep one personal item upon arrival was a shocker. Deciding which two items to let was a decision that was somewhat hard because I knew that I would be letting go my identity and my history. I decided to keep the Bible because this would be my source of strength to encourage me as I faced the challenges that were before me.  Prior to leaving I had recorded in the Bible all of my family’s information, date of birth, full names, family tree, birth place, marriages, and family deaths. My decision would be to give up my passport and family pictures.  I knew that giving up the passport could also mean that I may never have a chance to leave the country but my faith would give me the strength to believe if my Higher Power delivered once he would be able to deliver me. The memories of my family would last a life time so I could just close my eyes and think of them and all the good and bad times we shared together.

     As I think back over the assignment I realize that my religious background plays a very important part in my life. I am very aware that there will be cultural differences as I leave one country to go to another but I firmly that my beliefs, my family, and being culturally diverse and learning to adjust  will allow me to survive in the environment that I will be in.