Personal Narrative: My Personal Cultural Identity

Day after day, one could walk around his or her neighborhood and greet passing neighbors with a familiar ease. However, all of these neighbors that one might see have personalities very unique from each other. Their cultures identities are all very different because of which country they originate from or something like the religion they practice. This idea of a cultural identity is what makes everyone who they are as an individual. Cultural identity could be portrayed in language, perspective, geographical location, socioeconomic status, ethnicity or family. Some of these traits may be some of the hardest to comprehend without a verbal explanation, but they can certainly alter one’s life tremendously. More than anything, cultural experiences from one’s past influence their identity. One’s ability to speak and communicate in more than one language …show more content…
As a Buddhist living in a Christian family, I’ve had to make many sacrifices. I don’t eat red meat or go to church like they do, so my family also must make accommodations. I believe in karma, reincarnation, and meditation, even when my family has openly disagreed with these beliefs. I hold on to these beliefs so strongly because they make me who I am as a person. The experiences I’ve had in the past practicing Buddhism therefore influence my personal cultural identity. These examples justify that cultural experiences from one’s past influence their identity. Myself and all of the talented authors mentioned in this essay can attest to this. Our religious, ethnic, familial, and socioeconomic experiences from our pasts influence our cultural identity. This causes us to speak, think, and act uniquely from one another. This should be considered the next time you greet your neighbors in a nonchalant manner. Who they really are, what they’ve been through, and how this matters to you; this can all be connected to your very own cultural