Cultural Diorama (Multi-Cultural Education)

Religion, Family, Heritage, Frugality: My Cultural Identity

1. Collage in my living room

 These four artifacts I lumped into one. They all go together and represent the same aspect of my cultural identity: family and religion. The top right is a picture of the Twin Falls Temple where I married my husband. The next is our marriage certificate. The bottom left is a copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World and next to it is a picture from my wedding. My religion is fundamental to who I am and I would not even know how to define myself if it this aspect of my identity were taken from me. Because of my religion, I know and understand the importance of family and am so grateful that my religion allows me to be with mine forever.

2. An Authentic Ecuadorian Throw

This throw was given to me by my mother and hangs on my bedroom wall. It is a constant reminder of where I come from. Though in my opinion, I have been fully "Americanized", this part of my ethnicity plays a huge part in my cultural identity. It has effected my decision to study and learn the language of my mother so that I can better communicate with members of my family to everyday decisions like what I eat on a regular basis. When cooking, I use a lot of ethnic spices and seasonings and foods that are common to Ecuador because that is what my mother used and that is how I was taught to cook.This is how it has been since I was a child, and even though I have moved away from my parents, these little parts of my daily life have remained with me.  

3. Piggy Bank

I chose to include this artifact as representative of my cultural identity because it reflects mentalities regarding money that I was taught and that I continue to maintain and it is also representative of my socio-economic culture. Growing up, my family never went without essentials, but there were times when our parents had to tell us no when we asked for something. My parents talked to us openly about their finances when we got older and they told us that because of decisions they had made earlier on, they had accumulated debt that now needed to be paid back. They heeded us to always be careful with our future financial decisions. I took this to heart and now strive to be wise with my money. I do not have a lot to spare at this time of my life and I don't know that I ever will, but because my husband and I make a huge effort to avoid unnecessary spending and save for emergencies and big purchases, I don't think that will ever matter.