Introduction
Previously, when being asked what my ‘cultural identity’ was, I would immediately answer that I had both English and SriLankan heritage, however recently I have discovered that cultural identity is far more than heritage, but it is also essentially the aspects that create who we are as an individual. Student, musician, biracial, sister and traveler would be the 5 key components that I consider the most significant and influential to my cultural identity.
Student
Firstly, being a student at Massey University is one of the most significant components contributing to my cultural identity. I would consider being a student to be such a key aspect of my current cultural identity as it is what I spend most of my time doing, as I …show more content…
Student life is something that I have only recently been introduced to, however, being considered a student has drastically changed the way that I perceive my lifestyle and how I connect with other students. I have learnt from being considered a student is that there is a lot of emphasis on drinking culture and the idea of being poor or stressed a lot of the time, however it is also these aspects of the student lifestyle that have helped me connect and socialise with other students. Being a part of student culture has also enabled me with a sense of belonging as when coming to university, almost everyone is in the in the same situations in regards to having new accommodation, responsibilities and education which made it easy to connect with one another. I have old high-school friends who are culturally different from me (as they do not value study or education as much as I do), and work full-time and I have recently found that I cannot connect with them about certain topics, due to our different experiences and …show more content…
For example, when my family and I would eat curry we tend to eat with our hand/fingers and when I had friends around, they would sometimes be completely shocked that we were eating our curry with our hands. On my Archie’s (Grandmas) anniversary, my family also pays our respects by going to a Buddhist temple and praying. My father being English has influenced my cultural identity, as every Sunday my family and I would have a Sunday roast which is a tradition that I have taken with me to independent living. Having English heritage has affected my cultural identity in the way that my family is a very typical, patriotic English family in certain aspects, such as being heavily involved in football (soccer) and celebrating events such as the queen’s birthday, by throwing a royal dress up party. It is also important to note that even though my family and I migrated from England to New Zealand, we still kept key aspects of English culture, otherwise known or referred to as the Salad Bowl Theory (DeLorenzo, 2000). Although I am immensely influenced by both the Srilankan and English culture, I can only speak English fluently, however, in the future I wish to learn more of the Srilankan language, which will help me to define my identity (Hodis,
Previously, when being asked what my ‘cultural identity’ was, I would immediately answer that I had both English and SriLankan heritage, however recently I have discovered that cultural identity is far more than heritage, but it is also essentially the aspects that create who we are as an individual. Student, musician, biracial, sister and traveler would be the 5 key components that I consider the most significant and influential to my cultural identity.
Student
Firstly, being a student at Massey University is one of the most significant components contributing to my cultural identity. I would consider being a student to be such a key aspect of my current cultural identity as it is what I spend most of my time doing, as I …show more content…
Student life is something that I have only recently been introduced to, however, being considered a student has drastically changed the way that I perceive my lifestyle and how I connect with other students. I have learnt from being considered a student is that there is a lot of emphasis on drinking culture and the idea of being poor or stressed a lot of the time, however it is also these aspects of the student lifestyle that have helped me connect and socialise with other students. Being a part of student culture has also enabled me with a sense of belonging as when coming to university, almost everyone is in the in the same situations in regards to having new accommodation, responsibilities and education which made it easy to connect with one another. I have old high-school friends who are culturally different from me (as they do not value study or education as much as I do), and work full-time and I have recently found that I cannot connect with them about certain topics, due to our different experiences and …show more content…
For example, when my family and I would eat curry we tend to eat with our hand/fingers and when I had friends around, they would sometimes be completely shocked that we were eating our curry with our hands. On my Archie’s (Grandmas) anniversary, my family also pays our respects by going to a Buddhist temple and praying. My father being English has influenced my cultural identity, as every Sunday my family and I would have a Sunday roast which is a tradition that I have taken with me to independent living. Having English heritage has affected my cultural identity in the way that my family is a very typical, patriotic English family in certain aspects, such as being heavily involved in football (soccer) and celebrating events such as the queen’s birthday, by throwing a royal dress up party. It is also important to note that even though my family and I migrated from England to New Zealand, we still kept key aspects of English culture, otherwise known or referred to as the Salad Bowl Theory (DeLorenzo, 2000). Although I am immensely influenced by both the Srilankan and English culture, I can only speak English fluently, however, in the future I wish to learn more of the Srilankan language, which will help me to define my identity (Hodis,