MY FAMILY CULTURE

Three items to be taken to my new home country:

1.       Picture of my son and I

2.       My son’s newborn keepsake box filled with memorable items from my pregnancy and my son’s birth

3.       Picture of my immediate family including mother, father, sister, and nephews

Explanation of Items Chosen:

Item 1#- Picture of my son and I is important to be as is symbolizes the shared connection and bond between my son and I. This picture represents the unconditional love, support, and protection that I have for my son.

Item#2- My son’s newborn keepsake box filled with memorable items from my pregnancy and my son’s birth represents the amazing and most rewarding experience that occurred in my life. My son’s keepsake box is filled with many memorable items including information received during my 1^st child birthing class, hospital admission bracelets for my son and I, and my son’s birth card which detailed his weight, length, date and time of birth. This keepsake box represents the unforgettable experience that I had during my pregnancy and delivery of my son.

Item#3- Picture of my family including mother, father, sister, and nephews symbolizes my sources of support and love. Each person within my family picture serves as a supportive individual whom which I have an overwhelming amount of love and support.

Personal Feelings:

If I were told upon my arrival to my new home country that I could only keep one personal item and had to give up the other two items that I brought with me, I would feel extremely upset and a loss of connection to the personal items that have the most significance within my life. The two items that I would most likely give up would be the picture of my son and I, and the picture of my family. These items would be the least difficult to separate from due to the fact that my son and immediate family would be traveling and settling with me in my new home country. My son’s newborn keepsake box cannot be replaced, whereas pictures can be retaken.

Insights Gained:

This exercise has enabled me to see what is most important to me in reference to family culture. Reflecting on the three items that I chose to take to my new home country, I found it interesting that two of the three items reflected the significance of my relationship with my son. When I know reflect on the term “family” I now realized that I establish myself and my son as my 1^st immediate family with my mother, father, sister, and nephews as my 2^nd family.