Hello everyone, my name is Zena. I am not very familiar with a scenario like this, are posts supposed to attract readers from the very first line? This question and bloggers' many different blogging techniques is a branch of writing I yet cannot understand but know I will soon adapt to it with my class throughout the year.
Anyways, in addition to the uncreative first line of my post, I have recently turned sixteen years old. I have two younger siblings and in my spare time I enjoy drawing/painting, playing tennis and baking. I am also a third culture person as I am originally Sudanese, was born and raised in Canada and migrated to Abu Dhabi at the age of eleven. I don't know where my next journey is in the upcoming years but my main aims for the future is to successfully complete the demanding journey of the International Baccalaureate and then pursue a truly desired career of medicine. Both my friends and family agree this goal is all I talk about!
Being the person I am and living the life I've lived, I could definitely claim that both language and culture play a significant role in my life. In my opinion, culture is a particular way of interpreting an environment and all it's customs. Cultures vary across the world and each have their own individual sets of laws, beliefs, products and practices. Language also plays a role in culture as it is a source of communication in order for a society to develop. I have been under a series of circumstances that have proved how much culture and language inter-wine. For example, I identify with three different cultures and I am fluent in both Arabic and English but it was always hard for me to be fully focused on each one of the cultures' languages. This always created a minor language barrier between me and my family, especially with my family in Sudan. Not only did this language barrier create a small gap between me and my family, but also made them believe that I was not fully familiar to their particular culture. This just shows how important a culture's certain way of communication is.
Overall, I am very grateful for getting the chance to experience diversity first-hand and learn from different cultures from around the world. I can't wait for what life has in store for me next! I know the English Language and Literature course is going to expand my knowledge in the theme of diversity and
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| This is a picture I took during the charitable Colour Run Marathon. At this point, all the colours coming together in the air was -to me- a physical representation of different cultures coming together, which can describe me as a person. |
I love how you talked about the barrier that speaking two languages can create with family, it's definitely an interesting concept! I also liked the mention of third culture, it's such a common concept these days. Loved this post! :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the blog was the fact that you emphasized your goal of pursuing a medical career. Because I have that same goal in mind, I know how stressing it can be sometimes but I also know that it is the one thing that drives you to do so many things. Really good job with connecting culture and language and discussing how you sometimes have a language barrier between you and your family. I also consider myself a third culture person, something we have in common. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Zena! I thought it was really interesting how you defined culture as an interpretation of the environment and customs, instead of just being the environment and customs. It raises the point that maybe we all have the same basic ideas but just interpret them in different ways (which lead to different foods, religions etc...). Maybe we all have the same base/mold after all :)
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