Liemmm
Jan 8, 2010
Undergraduate / 'Culture and the use of English in my family' - Washington Cultural Response. [NEW]
Hello, I have an almost completed essay for the University of Washington. Just wanted to know your opinions and ideas on this topic, things that could be added and grammatical errors. Thanks.
Directions
Choose one of the following.
1. The University of Washington seeks to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. How would you contribute to this community?
2. Describe an experience of cultural difference, positive or negative, you have had or observed. What did you learn from it?
Imagine looking out of the tallest building in New York, how many different ethnicities would you see? How many different businesses, cars, and styles can you identify? The world is a very rich place with many ways of operating. And my perspective of it was tediously shaped by the constant struggle in my life to blend to different cultures together. I came to the United States when I was three years old and was entirely educated by the American education system. I had American teachers, American friends and spoke English. As I learned the material taught in school I also picked up the liberal American culture in the play ground. As soon as I stepped home however I was faced with an entirely different set of traditions enforced by my parents. As a child I was very confused about which direction to lean to, to fit in with my friends at school or to act traditional and make my parents happy. If I was an adult the decision would have been easier to make because I would have had a better sense of myself and my values. With the help of teachers and my siblings I was able to select the best parts of both cultures and create my own.
A representative example of how I struggled with different culture is the use of English in my family. On a daily basis my dad would scold me for speaking English with my siblings. My parents had made the rule that no one could speak English in the family in order to preserve our heritage/culture. Furthermore I was forced to go to Vietnamese school every Friday to learn the Vietnamese language and culture. Personally I did not enjoy the schooling nor having to speak the language that I'm not familiar with. I would rather speak English because I am more fluent in it and after all, I live in America not Vietnam. Regardless of my lack of interest I took my parents advice and stuck with the class. As I entered high school it occurred to me that having a second language is so useful because all school require that students learn a second language. In addition to that I realized that the only language that my parents spoke and if they had not force me to learn it I would have lost communication to them. In choosing to learn both Vietnamese and English, I am able to maintain a good relationship with my family w ho help me understand my culture better. There are also wonderful aspects of the American culture that I loved and choose over my tradition. An example of this is the American education system's practice of fostering the developing of one's interest. In my culture, only doctors, engineers and professors are valued careers. On the other hand, American culture encourages students to pursue any field of studies that they are interested in such as arts, music, dance, science, and more. I also share this view on allowing and supporting what people like to do. This will make the society a more diverse place not only in terms of races, but also on the establishments brought about by many different fields of studies. Being forced to adapt to both cultures at first was challenging for me, but as I continue to do it, I learned to be receptive to differences in life.
Hello, I have an almost completed essay for the University of Washington. Just wanted to know your opinions and ideas on this topic, things that could be added and grammatical errors. Thanks.
Directions
Choose one of the following.
1. The University of Washington seeks to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. How would you contribute to this community?
2. Describe an experience of cultural difference, positive or negative, you have had or observed. What did you learn from it?
Imagine looking out of the tallest building in New York, how many different ethnicities would you see? How many different businesses, cars, and styles can you identify? The world is a very rich place with many ways of operating. And my perspective of it was tediously shaped by the constant struggle in my life to blend to different cultures together. I came to the United States when I was three years old and was entirely educated by the American education system. I had American teachers, American friends and spoke English. As I learned the material taught in school I also picked up the liberal American culture in the play ground. As soon as I stepped home however I was faced with an entirely different set of traditions enforced by my parents. As a child I was very confused about which direction to lean to, to fit in with my friends at school or to act traditional and make my parents happy. If I was an adult the decision would have been easier to make because I would have had a better sense of myself and my values. With the help of teachers and my siblings I was able to select the best parts of both cultures and create my own.
A representative example of how I struggled with different culture is the use of English in my family. On a daily basis my dad would scold me for speaking English with my siblings. My parents had made the rule that no one could speak English in the family in order to preserve our heritage/culture. Furthermore I was forced to go to Vietnamese school every Friday to learn the Vietnamese language and culture. Personally I did not enjoy the schooling nor having to speak the language that I'm not familiar with. I would rather speak English because I am more fluent in it and after all, I live in America not Vietnam. Regardless of my lack of interest I took my parents advice and stuck with the class. As I entered high school it occurred to me that having a second language is so useful because all school require that students learn a second language. In addition to that I realized that the only language that my parents spoke and if they had not force me to learn it I would have lost communication to them. In choosing to learn both Vietnamese and English, I am able to maintain a good relationship with my family w ho help me understand my culture better. There are also wonderful aspects of the American culture that I loved and choose over my tradition. An example of this is the American education system's practice of fostering the developing of one's interest. In my culture, only doctors, engineers and professors are valued careers. On the other hand, American culture encourages students to pursue any field of studies that they are interested in such as arts, music, dance, science, and more. I also share this view on allowing and supporting what people like to do. This will make the society a more diverse place not only in terms of races, but also on the establishments brought about by many different fields of studies. Being forced to adapt to both cultures at first was challenging for me, but as I continue to do it, I learned to be receptive to differences in life.