Cultural Autobiography
Running Head: MY CULTURAL
My Cultural Autobiography
Nancy Domanski
Sir Frances Bacon said, “If a man be gracious to strangers, it shows that he is a citizen of the world, and his heart is no island cut off from other islands, but a continent that joins them,” (Jenkins, 1994). This quote represents all the core values that I cherish and to which I adhere. Personal culture doesn’t have to be linked to a certain country of origin or a specific ethnicity; it can be as simple as a person’s core values. The Southern way of life is a culture all in itself. Growing up south of the Mason-Dixon Line in the United States has instilled in me many values including honesty, integrity and a genuine concern for my fellow man. Most of these values I do not remember ever being told or consciously being taught. It is just a way of life for us Southerners. I must have learned them by example, especially my mom’s. Martha Ann, my mother, was a very formidable woman with the generosity of a saint. She died when I was just 22, but she had already taught me to share whatever I had with anyone less fortunate. I remember her saying, “There is always someone worse off than you.” That one phrase has not only taught me to be thankful for what I have, it also taught me to remember those who are in need. When I was just six, my parents bought the restaurant that my mother had been working at as a waitress. The previous owners were getting very old and did not want to put their employees out of work by closing it, so my parents stepped up. My father had a full time civil service job so my mother handled most of the business and managing affairs. My father would also help out every evening after coming home from his day job. We all spent most of our waking hours downstairs helping. We even lived in the apartments upstairs. My two brothers, my parents and myself all managed to live somewhat peacefully in just those three rooms. I remember being sort of
My Cultural Autobiography
Nancy Domanski
Sir Frances Bacon said, “If a man be gracious to strangers, it shows that he is a citizen of the world, and his heart is no island cut off from other islands, but a continent that joins them,” (Jenkins, 1994). This quote represents all the core values that I cherish and to which I adhere. Personal culture doesn’t have to be linked to a certain country of origin or a specific ethnicity; it can be as simple as a person’s core values. The Southern way of life is a culture all in itself. Growing up south of the Mason-Dixon Line in the United States has instilled in me many values including honesty, integrity and a genuine concern for my fellow man. Most of these values I do not remember ever being told or consciously being taught. It is just a way of life for us Southerners. I must have learned them by example, especially my mom’s. Martha Ann, my mother, was a very formidable woman with the generosity of a saint. She died when I was just 22, but she had already taught me to share whatever I had with anyone less fortunate. I remember her saying, “There is always someone worse off than you.” That one phrase has not only taught me to be thankful for what I have, it also taught me to remember those who are in need. When I was just six, my parents bought the restaurant that my mother had been working at as a waitress. The previous owners were getting very old and did not want to put their employees out of work by closing it, so my parents stepped up. My father had a full time civil service job so my mother handled most of the business and managing affairs. My father would also help out every evening after coming home from his day job. We all spent most of our waking hours downstairs helping. We even lived in the apartments upstairs. My two brothers, my parents and myself all managed to live somewhat peacefully in just those three rooms. I remember being sort of