My unconventional background has made me struggle with believing I have a true cultural identity. I am ethnically Chinese, raised by a Ukrainian Jewish mother and an English Christian father. Franchi states that “Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community.” However, I’ve never felt like I truly belonged to a certain community. In my opinion, I’m just as Chinese as I am Ukrainian or English. I was never taught any Chinese language, and although I may understand more Russian than most, English is the only language I’m fluent in. As if my ethnic background didn’t confuse me enough, a loose emphasis on religion in my household caused me to never identify with a religion.
Then I realized, my cultural heritage wasn’t limited to one culture and it wasn’t about trying to make myself fit in somewhere. It was about embracing and loving my unique upbringing, and as an American I’m not only inspired to, but encouraged to, explore multiple cultures. In terms of intangible heritage, I enjoy baking Ukrainian desserts with my mom and babushka, using recipes passed down from my babushka’s babushka when she lived in the Soviet Union. But I can also choose to go to Sunday morning church with my dad and grandma, singing hymns and listening to the pastor interpret parts of the Bible. As for holidays, Christmases are spent with my dad’s side of the family at my grandma’s house. We start by having the youngest family member, which has been me for as long as I can remember, wear a battered Santa hat while handing out presents. Afterwards, my grandpa leads us in prayer and we eat an early dinner together. However, New Years is spent with my mom’s side of the family at my babushka’s house. In the Soviet Union, New Year’s Eve was kind of like a different version of Christmas, so we always do a smaller gift exchange on this day. Then we watch the Times Square ball drop on tv, toast our glasses, and wish everyone “с Новым Годом!” or “Happy New Year!”
My traditions may be untraditional, but that doesn’t make them any less a part of my family or our culture. Franchi concludes the article by saying “Cultural heritage passed down to us from our parents must be preserved for the benefit of all.” While I can’t physically pass down my memories and experience, I can still share traditions and the feeling of love and family with future generations.
I really like the way that you ended off your response because we won’t always be able to pass everything down to the next generation. However, that can’t stop us from being able to share our feelings and memories to others to have a lasting impact on them and those that come after.
I really find it cool how you are able to navigate through your unique identity and make your own cultural heritage. I also found your ending really interesting because of how unique your cultural heritage is, you would be able to make your own community that will have the same experiences as you.
I loved hearing about the different aspects of your family’s culture and how they have shaped you. Part of my family’s intangible heritage is also based in cooking together, but hearing the different traditions you have from different members of your family was really interesting. I also loved your takeaway in the last paragraph- the beauty of heritage is that it exists in new generations and evolves to become a part of them, whomever they may be, even if they have other pieces of heritage from different cultures.
Great writing! In the writing, it’s abundantly clear that you have found your cultural identity. Your optimism and introspectiveness are refreshing, especially as you described your “unconventional background”. I think that oftentimes we’re so busy trying to find ourselves in hyperspecific groups, that we lose track of our own sense of identity. As you mentioned in your response, cultural heritage is not just limited to one culture, it’s the expression of ourselves to represent where we come from. In your case specifically, it was really cool to hear about your unique upbringing and the journey to find yourself and your cultural identity.
Your story really touched me. I liked the way you ended your response. How many languages can you speak? I am asking because I can speak 3 language and it make me impress that there are so many languages in this world.
Unfortunately I’m only fluent in English. When I was little, I was in a Russian pre-k and we only spoke English for about an hour a day, so I was almost fluent. However, I lost my fluency because I didn’t speak Russian in my house. I did take Russian in high school and my maternal grandma speaks to me primarily in Russian, so I can hold a conversation and I understand most, if not all, of the conversation if my mom is speaking to my grandma.