What is my culture? I definitely do not see it as Canadian. I personally have more in common with Northeastern North America (Montreal, New York, Boston, Chicago), than I have with anybody in Western North America (Vancouver, Calgary, LA, San Fransisco, Edmonton). I don't like hockey, I can't skate, maple syrup is pretty good I guess, and I could not pick a traditional Canadian music hero out of a line-up (except Shania Twain, my future wife). I do however like basketball, I try to play soccer (badly), butter chicken is really good, and I could fill a stadium with conscious hip hoppers from the Northeast. But again, what is my culture?
I guess growing up in Toronto I have come to borrow from those around me, whether that is American, Chinese, Indian, Jamaican, or Somalian. I hate when people perceive me as a Canadian who loves all things typically Canadian, including the embarrassing accent. In that sense, I don't feel like I have a static culture, I feel that it is dynamic and continuously adapting to where I live and who I am closest to. I like it this way.
So in conclusion, I have no idea what my culture is and would rather not know.
I love that you differentiate your culture based on geographical values. Very interesting. I see by your last sentence that you might rather not know what your culture is but I would challenge you to think about it a bit more. You identified what doesn't make you a left coaster. What is it that makes you a NorEaster? I think that it is important to think about it so that you know where your "biases" (both positive and negative) lay. Once you are able to identify them, you might be able to check them when faced with an intercultural challenge.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for you and Lishai to get there already! Please give "big ups" to DeSuza.
lol at Larissa’s' shout out.
ReplyDeleteYa, I feel what you're saying about not fitting into the so called 'Canadian-culture'. I remember telling someone once that I've never played a game of hockey in my life and he was like, "oh ya its because you're not Canadian" lol. Little did he know i live 5 minutes away from where i was born.