Personal Narrative: The Influence Of Personal Identity

My mother is Puerto Rican and my father is Haitian. Coming from a household where both parents are from two differing backgrounds sparked my interest in learning about different cultures and nationalities. Being able to experience the different cultures within my household and also the blending of them shaped my curiosity for other ethnic groups. When I was a child, the neighborhood I lived in Brooklyn, was a melting pot because of the assortment of races that lived there. As well, the elementary and middle schools I attended allowed myself to be immersed in learning about the vastness of diverse cultures and nationalities that were around me. I grew up celebrating Hanukah, Christmas, and Kwanza because it was something a lot of children around me did. At the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I moved to the Bay Area in California. I was living in South San Francisco, which is nicknamed South City. South City is known for their large population of Filipino and Polynesian people. While living there, I became close to my neighbor, Edison who was born in the Philippines and became a naturalized citizen after serving in the Marines. Edison was born in September of 1988 in Manila, which is the capitol of the Philippines. Edison’s father passed away when he was five years old and shortly after,
It was riveting to see that some of my customs were the same as Filipino customs. The process of this paper was exciting because I skyped Edison for an hour to do the interview and then ended up talking to him for another three hours. This paper helped me expand my skills as a listener as well as a writer. In the beginning, I was stuck on how to approach this essay but after typing up all of the information I had, all I had to do was organize it. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and look forward to attempting to do it