Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Giovanna Walters
5/2/16
The concept of culture is much more familiar and close than most realize. When people
generally speak of culture, they reference other countries and traditions but fail in the process
to include their own customs. The method in which we are becoming increasingly globalized is
very surreal. From the technological advancements that allow one to interact with others from
a different country, to the increased frequency of migration, it is clear that the future consists
of more integration of cultures and customs. Furthermore, in this global citizenship unit, the
cultural biases that we face as well as the circumstances surrounding some individuals decision
to migrate highlighted some tragedies that many are unaware of. Essentially, it is clear that the
primary motivation that many migrants move is to seek solace; many bilinguals have proved to
be very adaptable, and in a university environment, there are many opportunities available to
I found the videos of the 4 immigrants life stories to be very interesting. They all came
emigrated from different places but had similar reasons and conditions as to why they
immigrated. One of the main reasons that at least three of the videos I watched was due to
some form of political instability in their country. Grace Deaneh, Nora Martinez, Diib Abdullahi
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all came to the United States for a better future because of wars that were occurring in Liberia,
Somalia, and Mexico. They all asserted that they came to the United States to gain a more
secure future and are all currently attending a college or university. This resembles the
reasoning my parents left Nigeria for the United States which was for the sake of better
education and opportunities. As Gupta stated, culture is knowledge that we acquire as we are
growing up (Gupta). Knowing that it is alright to hold onto your culture while attempting to
grow is phenomenal. This shows that though we may all be from different areas of the world,
I found the New Republic article insanely interesting. Being Bilingual myself, it
speak Yoruba, some words and expressions are generally more animated than when I speak
English. In addition, I feel as if I am more socially timid when relating to people when I am
speaking Yoruba or by my Nigerian peers in a social event. Secondly, the article on the
Independent website really resonated to me. As addressed in the article, when it came to
bilingual speakers, they seemed to switch between these perspectives based on the language
context they were given the task in (Athanasopoulos). When speaking of blocking out a
different language, I tend to act more accordingly to the value and virtues of that particular
group. For example, if I had guests over to my place and blocked out the American language, I
would most likely become a very good hostess, even if I didnt invite the guests myself. More
than likely, I would make some sort of food for them and offer them some snacks. More than
likely, if I had American guests and blocked out the Nigerian aspects, we would probably go out
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to eat somewhere. These articles really heightened my awareness of my own personal
behavioral patterns.
The opportunities that are available here at Minnesota State, Mankato are bountiful.
traveling out of the country to England and Spain within the next year. Although I am not able
to go through any of the exchange and study abroad opportunities MSU Mankato offers, I still
plan on independently traveling. Furthermore, during the upcoming school year, I plan on
attending more cultural nights outside of African Night. I think more exposure to the customs of
other cultures would be incredibly beneficial in shattering some preconceived notion as to what
is right and broaden my horizon to the various cultures that are present in the world.
With the integration of cultures around the world, strengthening and recognizing global
recognize that though people are from different countries, they still share some of the same
goals and experiences. Furthermore, this unit on global citizenship highlights that immigrants
that are bilingual not only have the ability to intertwine their culture with elements of their
newly adopted country, but that they are easily creating a new culture in the process. Lastly,
traveling and being placed outside of your comfort zone forces one to being tolerant and aware
of cultural biases.
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Works Cited
Athanasopoulos, Panos. "How the Language You Speak Changes Your View of the World." The
Independent. Independent Digital News and Media. Web. 03 May 2016.
Robb, Alice. "Multilinguals Have Multiple Personalities." New Republic. Web. 03 May 2016.