Chapter 5- Understanding Culture

Culture has been an elusive thing for me. As a multiple generation American, my most immediate culture is American. However, despite this, I have never really felt like I had a unique identity as a result. In a country surrounded by people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, I feel plain, with almost nothing to call my own. Perhaps I am wrong and I am just not aware of my culture, but it is my honest thought. One thing I am aware of is my co-cultures, which is essentially a culture besides the immediate culture you represent (ch.5, pg.126). This may sound wrong, but my co-cultures reflect my identity even more than my immediate culture. For starters, I am of mostly European background with a sizable portion coming from Germany. My biggest connection to German culture is my grandmother whom I call Oma. Whenever my family and I go to her house, the meals we eat are German based in origin, including schnitzel, Knodel dumplings, and sauerkraut. On occasion, we have also gone to local Oktoberfests, although I have only gone to eat and dance as I was never old enough to drink. My other co-culture is Scot/Irish, which we celebrate through St. Patrick’s Day. That day, we eat corned beef and cabbage, which can be an acquired taste. What I learned from this is that regardless of where you came from, you have something special and unique within you. Whether it’s your culture or co-culture or anything else, you are you. As cliché as that sounds, it is the truth.