My Family Culture

  I am a hindu but I am not a religious person. However, since small my parents have taught me to pray and I have come realise at some point in my life that, praying gives me strength and hope. So I will first take with me a picture of my God whom I have been worshipping since I was little. This has given me a lot of peace of mind and assurance that everything will be ok and the courage and power to face anything. Secondly, I want my children to always remember their family no matter what. I am not sure if we will all be together in the new host country, if we are not, I will bring a picture of my extended family to always remind my children of their origins and ancestors. Thirdly, I will bring my 'bindi' which is a red dot which we Hindu women put in the middle of our forehead to symbolize that we are married ( a black dot is for unmarried woman). Although many are not following this culture, I have been doing so since I was small. I can never leave the house without this. It reminds me of my culture and who I am. I will definitely bring this with me as well.

  If I was asked to keep only one personal item and give up the rest, I would feel like losing a family member. The sadness of leaving my own country and on top of that to give something dear to my heart which reminds me of my roots will be quite devastating for me. I am very much emotional about some of my personal belongings especially the ones that I have mentioned above.

  From this exercise, I have learnt that everyone are different as they come from a family which is unique by itself. Cultural diversity does not only mean the different race or religion however it goes beyond that. I never knew that I am so attached emotionally to all the things that I have mentioned above. This makes me so different even from my husband and my children. Cultural diversity exist even in our own family.