Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Culture is the traditions, religions, holidays, and behaviors of the population.

Diversity is the how you describe the differences between the people and their cultures.

           Words of a fourteen year old American high school girl

Culture is things that represent what our communities do.

Diversity is the uniqueness in each other.

            Words of a Sri Lankan adult, male

Culture is everything what someone does in everyday of his/her life.

Diversity is everything all the differences that we notice and not notice about someone’s life.  

               Words of a childcare provider, female and adult

• Then reflect on the answers you received and ask yourself:

I do not believe that there is right or wrong answer to these questions. These are two words some people take very seriously and some take quite loosely. The meanings of these words depend on the interpretation by the individual. At the same time the interpretations explain the tolerance levels and the exposure of the people to different cultures. 

A child who attends an International school in Michigan, the description of her words explains the exposure she has in relations to the environment that she is in. She is around children from different countries of the world. She gets to hear different stories from them on the topics of diversity and cultures.

For an adult male his descriptions are simple and less words. This shows that he is to the point and not a world more. And he is a person from a different country and this show in his views of the topic.

For a female childcare provider who deals with the children from all over the world. It is her own definition.

I believe that it is up to the individuals to come to their own definitions, for me personally Culture is everything. How we function in our daily life has a lot to do with our home culture. Race, religion, language, sexual orientation, and there is much more to the world culture and the diversity is all in the mix of all tolerating all the above and more.

Where culture is, where you find diversity. If we understand the importance of both of these words, the word PEACE would be a much popular and realistic on earth. We as human beings have to understand that we all belong to one race and it is human race.

This assignment gave us the opportunity to listen to the people around us regarding the words diversity and culture.

My Family Culture 

A description of the three items that I would choose

As an immigrant this feels familiar to me. When my husband and I migrated to the United States of America our choices were four checked in baggages.  Our parents shipped few boxes for us and they arrived later. So I write this with that experience in my mind. I assume that if I leave the country with my husband and children my choices will be:

1.       Outdoor/indoor photographs of my parents and family, capturing the luscious greenery and the natural beauty of my native land as well as my parents home where I grew up.

2.     My Sri Lankan passport with a map of Sri Lanka with the flag attached

3.     A handmade artifact that represent craftsmanship with a historic value to it

How I would explain to others what each of these items means to me

For me, my parents and my sister are equally precious to my own family. Wherever I go, I would have them in my heart. Pictures of them in the garden of my childhood home, home itself and family members matters to me the most because of all the happy memories that they represent. The pictures could be the only source I have with me to show my children where I grew up and tell the stories of the wonderful times that I spent there.

My passport is very important to me. It is THE document I need to go to Sri Lanka or come back to U.S.A. My Sri Lankan passport represents the connection to my native land. For me the map with the flag reminds me of the place that is the center of my life for a great deal of time. Sri Lanka is the birthplace as well as my other home. Sri Lanka is a huge part of who I am forever. It contains many happier years of my life.

Hand craft is part of the fabric of my native land. Craft abilities were on the tip of everyone’s fingers but now it seems like not that common anymore. But still it is a part of who we are. Clay, wood, metal, fabric many other resources were used to create these crafts. Many of the crafts and artifacts have traditional or mythical stories attached to them as well.

   

My feelings if, upon arrival, I were told that I could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items that I brought with me

I believe that I will hold on to the pictures if I have to make the choice between the items. The picture on my blog as my profile picture is one of those precious pictures that I would save for my life. It is the last picture I have with four of us together before my father passed away. I am a person crazy about pictures and I believe in capturing the moments. I consider that human beings have the power to remember the story when they see a picture. Even without anyone telling the story, pictures have the ability to let the viewer understand the story. So I will save my picture album.

Any insights I gained about myself, my family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

Even though it was a collaborative decision between my husband and myself to migrate to the United States of America, this exercise made me realize how much I miss home and how bigger the influence of family culture within me. It makes me feel proud to having a strong attachment to the birth place of mine. Moreover, this gives me more opportunity to understand how other families are feeling about their own cultures, traditions and native places.

 (I have shared above some of those things that I brought with me to United States)