Culture Collage:

My family and loved ones are the theme for my culture collage because the bonds that we share are a very important part of my life. When I was young, home was a three-story building with family on each floor. I have countless memories of birthday parties with my cousins, summers playing in the backyard, and even waking up to the sounds of my parents having breakfast with my aunts and uncles. My parents were pretty strict, so having my cousins nearby helped balance things out. I loved every minute of it, but by the time I reached high school, everybody had moved away.

Since before I can even remember, my parents would always take us to the motherland, in our case Chile. The close relationships I have with my cousins have most likely been shaped by the close relationships my parents have maintained with their generation of family. When we were young, my cousins and I would only see each other once a year. Now that we’re older we’ve gotten a lot closer thanks to the internet and the occasional trips overseas. Two major similarities that we have found in our home lives are, one: all of our parents were incredibly strict, and two: we all have a strong religious background (with the majority being Christian and there are also a few Catholics).

As it would turn out, most of my friends after high school are Hispanic, mainly South American. I guess I can attribute this to the strong connection I feel with them because of the similarities in our cultural backgrounds. Something that always seemed to surprise them was that I had never lived outside of the United States. Until I corrected them, everybody always assumed that I was born in Chile or that at some point in my life I must have lived there. We all pretty much listen to the same type of music, and of course soccer is the major, and in some cases, the only sport of choice. The most North American thing they have found about me is my interest in baseball. The friendships that I have made have allowed me to feel like myself without the backlash of feeling like an outsider. But eventually as was the case with my family, my closest friends have also moved back to South America. Like my family, we stay connected thru the internet, phone, and the occasional visit.

I think that the most important thing that my family and friends have taught me is the importance of having a strong bond. Some things in life are temporary or short lived, but this type of bond is constant remains strong through distance and time.