From UPA’s diverse community to the United States’ multi-generational immigrant scene, everyone has a unique origin story, with a plethora of traditions and cultural practices from their heritage.
Yet, have you ever felt like the bridge between you and your culture is slowly crumbling because of the distance from your motherland?
You’re not alone if you feel this way. For a really long time, I felt like this, too. I was ashamed of my Indian heritage in America and my “American-ness” with other Indian people due to the differences between the social structures and languages of both of my worlds. In elementary school, I decided to focus on being more “American,” and tried to push myself away from my Indian heritage.
As I entered my teenage years, I realized that maintaining connections with and appreciating my culture is extremely important. This awareness came to me on a trip to India at the age of 13, when my family visited a palace and temple in Madurai, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu. I was absolutely astonished by the architecture and all of the stories which were engraved into each and every detail. The astounding beauty of the palace and the whole city made me realize that my culture was steeped in history, and should not be left to collect dust in a corner of my mind.
According to Julia Childs Heyl of VeryWellMind, culture fosters deep social connections with others of similar backgrounds. This creates a sense of community for people and helps people feel better about themselves. It has been proven through numerous studies that cultural connections can also increase a human’s lifespan.
Also, from personal experience, I think it is vital to not just learn about your culture so that it doesn’t fade away, but also value it. This also encourages future generations to preserve the vast knowledge and traditions. If one person starts the chain of letting go of their cultures, over generations, your culture could slowly disappear. It is almost like a tapestry, with each thread pulled out one by one. In due time, it will become threadbare and completely unravel.
Many staff and students at UPA can attest to the importance and ways that they maintain their own cultural connections.
American History and Ethnic Studies teacher Pablo Lopez is a second-generation Mexican American. Both of his parents were born in the United States, though his father was raised in Mexico, and later moved from Texas to San José. Similar to me, Lopez believes that learning about your cultural background and family history is valuable.
“You understand more about yourself when you connect to your culture,” Lopez said. “It serves to enhance your life.”
Lopez has also noticed that it is difficult to maintain a meaningful connection to your native culture due to cultural differences in the U.S and geographical distance. Yet, he’s taken steps to maintain these connections. To stay connected with his culture, Lopez has visited Mexico multiple times over the past two years.
“Connecting to my culture through traveling, through going back to the mother country, kind of just opened my eyes to what life could have been [if we didn’t move to the U.S.],” Lopez said.
Junior John Paul Allen—who is half-Filipino and half-White American—also believes that connecting with one’s culture is extremely important.
“Getting to know your culture from different countries can give you different perspectives on the world,” Allen said.
For example, both of Allen’s cultures have allowed him to connect with his Roman Catholic religion and enjoy a variety of delicious food. Allen thinks that the religion, food and values such as honesty and respecting elders that he obtains from his Filipino-White culture are helpful during everyday interactions, making connections with other people and being a pillar of support during difficult times.
Though some might believe that dominant cultures can play a significant role in dissolving smaller cultures—such as immigrants’—in the U.S., people from multi-cultural backgrounds can manage to weave together both sides, creating a diverse cultural blend for themselves and their community. The versatility of multicultural and immigrant people can teach us to learn to preserve our own heritage, learn about others’ and find ways to bridge cultures together.
Assistant to the Executive Director Nathalie Tran is Chinese and believes that it can sometimes be difficult to maintain connection with both her Vietnamese husband’s and her own cultural background, as they don’t have any family who live in the U.S. to share traditions and holidays with. Nevertheless, Tran still finds that it is very important to do so.
“It’s important for the kids to learn where they come from,” Tran said. “We try to do that through multiple ways within our own family [with all the values, traditions and celebrations].”
Sophomore Rebekah Getahun is Ethiopian and also agrees that it is very important to maintain connection with your culture. Getahun does not feel like it is too hard to be connected with her culture, especially at UPA where there are many Habesha (referring to certain groups of Ethiopians and Eritreans) students.
“I’m really involved and my mom is really involved [in cultural activities with the Ethiopian community], but I feel like for other people it could be [hard],” Getahun said.
Seeing all of this, some people might be thinking, “Hey, they already have some kind of connection to their culture. How could I do that too?”
For those who don’t know how to, there are many ways for people to reconnect and maintain connections with their culture.
One way to connect is to find recipes from your culture, through your family or online, and make them. For me, my mom makes Indian food at home almost everyday. On certain occasions, she makes special foods and sweets such as kolukatai (dumplings filled with a mix of shredded coconut and brown sugar) or chaat items (fresh, savory snacks).
Lopez also has similar ways to maintain a meaningful connection with his culture: enjoying food, gathering with family during celebrations and visiting his home country. Lopez cherishes being able to have authentic Mexican food, especially when handmade and shared with family.
Before I was 13, I would take these foods for granted, not paying much mind to the heritage and stories that these dishes and festivals carried, but I realized their importance as the years passed. These special foods are mostly made on Indian festivals, such as Diwali, Navaratri, Pongal, Karthikadeepam and the two New Years that my family celebrates (the Tamil New Year, and the Telugu New Year).
For these festivals, we celebrate by wearing cultural clothing (such as kurtas and saris), having special dishes and going to the local temple. In recent years, I have taken steps to learn more about the recipes and traditions that come into play during festivals, so that I can preserve them for future generations.
Tran also finds that cultural holidays and traditions help to build her family’s connection with their dual culture. She and her family mainly look for common grounds between their Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, through food and holidays like Lunar New Year.
“We do offerings to our ancestors…we dress up in traditional clothing, and [go] to the temple,” Tran said.
For Getahun, the most important part of her culture are the cultural gatherings on holidays, as she believes that it is a powerful way to make connections with other Ethiopians. Her favorite holidays include Ethiopian New Year, Christmas (both American and Ethiopian versions) and Easter.
You can also read books about and from your culture, a personal favorite of mine. I’ve devoured “Amar Chitra Katha” comic books that contain stories from Hindu mythology, Indian history and biographies of important Indian figures.
Allen also agrees that reading plays a crucial role in reconnecting as it helps you learn about history, traditions, values and stories from your culture. He suggests finding books about your culture or authors from your culture to reconnect.
Reading also inspired me to start learning about Indian history from my dad, helping me deepen my connection to my heritage. Talking to your family can be a really good way to learn about your culture, history and family experiences. Using what you learn from your family and from external sources such as books can help you highlight the important aspects of your culture in daily life (such as values, food, clothing, etc.) or help you learn about specific traditions during celebrations and festivities.
Allen agrees that traditions can help preserve and strengthen your connection to your culture and other family members.
“My dad [is from Indiana and he] plays basketball,” Allen said. “[He] gives me tips and has been my mentor for basketball throughout the years.”
Basketball is a tradition that is important in Indiana’s state culture, and Allen believes the sport helps him tie into his dad’s roots.
I am also a Bharatanatyam dancer (a classical dance from south India). For the past ten years, Bharatnatyam has served as an anchor for me to my culture, one I didn’t appreciate until recently. Through dance, I get to learn different stories from my culture, and connect with others who are of similar background. My dance teachers always ensure that we follow ancient traditions when learning dances. The costumes, jewelry and makeup are all embedded with tradition, helping me strengthen my bond to my culture.
Most cultures have some kind of art form, or classes that can help you learn about your culture, guiding you on the path to self discovery. Talk to peers who take dance or other culturally significant classes, or do your own research to find and join in on these activities.
Through multiple perspectives, it can be seen time and time again that connecting to your culture is extremely important. For ones who didn’t know how, these examples are only a few of the many ways to reconnect with your culture. Connecting with my culture has helped me gain new perspectives on the world and value the wealth of traditions passed down the generations from cultures.
So get out there and bridge the gap between you and your culture. You’ll be amazed to see what you’ll find in that tapestry.
