Throughout my life I have been part many diverse cultures and of many community that contain a wide range of race and ethnicity. I was born in Ecuador and moving to the United States was a huge slap in the face. The culture and the way thing were done here compared to my home country was totally different. The life style in Ecuador was harsh and unpleasing but in the states life was so much more pleasurable with all the opportunities that are given me. The only problem is that people where closed minded.…
I will give back to Hawaii by building connections with God in the communities and the cities of my home, not only with my two hands, but with my whole heart. I will also, donate to charities or to the churches enough money to help people in the community with their needs. I came to Hawaii from Marshall Island in May of 2011. I was only eleven years old at the time. I moved to Hawaii because my parents wanted me to have a better education which will help me get a job that can support my family and contribute to my country.…
They say the goal in life is to live the “American Dream” and I would say I am living it head first. It all started when the time in my life came to pick an Univeristy to attend, and boy am I ecstatic with my decision to attend West Virginia University. WVU opened so many doors for me; however, if it was not for my family, I would not be where I am today. I was very content with going to my local University and living at home because that was comfortable to me, but my family encourged me to find a new start.…
Going to Hawaii What is a “vacation”? Vacation is defined as an extended period of recreation. Many people go on vacation for various different reasons.…
I've always loved different cultures and tried to surround myself in as many as possible however I could. This was usually me trying to learn on my own from the internet, music and movies, but I was still missing that X factor that really made me indulge in other cultures. As soon as I walked onto Swarthmore's campus I felt that X factor. Sitting in the info session and taking the tour, I truly felt at home. The small diverse campus allows for people of completely different backgrounds and cultures to have real relationships that they might not have even noticed anywhere else in the world.…
Going through small private schools in a little town since I was in kindergarten has set me up for very few cultural experiences but my parents never wanted my siblings and I to grow up like this. When my family goes on vacation my mom always tries to fully submerge us in the culture around us. For example, a few years ago, my family and I went on a vacation in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. We stayed in a nice resort and it was never necessary to leave the property if you didn’t want to. Most people never did.…
I was 13 years old, just starting off high school, when I realized what this dark cloud that’s been floating over me for the past couple of months really is. It wouldn’t be until more than a year later until I seek out professional help. It started off innocently enough as just a feeling of constant emptiness at the pit of my stomach. It slowly turned into randoms bouts of extreme rage, where I’d take out my anger physically, not just on the walls and mirrors of my childhood home and not just on my family, but on myself. I couldn’t understand why I felt this way, why I wasn’t “normal”.…
In addition, they always maintained their cultural identity and ensured they passed on their traditions even though they moved to a predominantly European neighborhood. These traditions were evident in their family gatherings, traditional…
Growing up in Maine had so many advantages from the beautiful scenery to the unique qualities Mainers have. I can't say that I'm not blessed to have grown up in such a beautifully scenic place, but I can't say it's been easy. I'm originally from land-locked Indiana. I moved to Maine when I was younger with my parents and brother and as much as I love being from a different place it's been hard growing up without a close family in a state so closely tied together with their families. Growing up in Maine, especially Mid-Coast Maine, you know that all of the surrounding families have lived there for generations, everybody knows everybody, cousins go to school together, and siblings work together.…
I believe that my personal background, and my success despite the adversity that I have faced is an essential part of who I am. The first of my struggles came from being born to two teenage parents without at least a high school education, and although my mother went on to get a GED and to college my father did not. Many people in my family had issues with substance abuse and addictions including my father. Although, I was raised by my mother and grandmother, my father’s actions and behaviors negatively impacted my life. My father was verbally and mentally abusive to the people around him, especially when he used alcohol.…
In the islands of Hawaii, Hawaiians depended on the land, scavenging for resources to gather in order to survive. Hawaiians became accustomed to the landscape and began to learn how to farm to grow local plants, how to hunt, and fish from the local wildlife. Now days most “Hawaiians” spend time at home on their ipad or in front of their TV or computer screens. Even though there's the ocean to swim in, and the mountains to hike and relax, people still avoid this. Caught up in the fast pace lifestyle of businesses, they forget what's really out there.…
American: A native or a citizen of the United States. I am not a first, second or third generation American, I am simply an American. I was born here in the United States in Augusta, Georgia. Growing up, I knew a little about my heritage from both of my parents. My father and mother are both Caucasian with some Native American heritage.…
I kindly accepted that those people were my siblings. They were all part of my family, but I felt an immense distance. Whitney had her own mother standing by her. My eldest sister and brother shared the same mother, whom I never saw before.…
The Day I Grew Up Walking down the road to my first job was the day I realized my life had changed. My first real responsibilities were beginning and accountability was starting to crawl its way into my life. I would have to sacrifice countless hours of free time, hanging out with friends, and sleep in order to work. I relate to Schoonover because like her on the weekends, I would go to the lake with my friends and out to lunch with them. Also, since I acquired the job, I would need to start paying for necessities and extracurricular activities on my own.…
Growing up I thought I would have a normal childhood like every other kid, little did I know I would have to consider myself an adult at fourteen. Out of all things the most memorable time I have of my life would be the struggle I went through to get where I am today. I have a total of eight siblings, three sisters and five brothers. I always looked up to the older ones for directions since my mother was hardly ever around. However they followed my mother’s footsteps in making poor decisions.…