Drake K. Redulla
DeVry University
Socioautobiography Growing up, I had a different experience than others. I grew up as a military brat, which allowed me to move to different parts of the globe and exposed me to different cultures. I think that because I grew up with this life, it allowed me to be a part of many sociological experiences. I was born in the United States, South Dakota to be specific, and have also lived in Arizona, California, and Washington. I have also lived in two other countries, Japan and Italy. Of course living in another country comes with the culture shock. I moved to Italy in 2000 so the memories are not as fresh as they used to be in my head. But I can remember my first experiences when I first got there. I remember waking up at abnormal hours in the middle of night because of jet lag. We stayed above a restaurant, which is where my real Italian food experience came from. To this day, no Italian food restaurant in the United States can compare to the taste and authenticity of the food in Italy. When I have to compare the time I spent there in a sociological perspective, I would compare it to an interactionist and functionalist perspective. It would be interactionist because symbols are used everywhere. Whether it had to do with sports, nationality, or government, if you spent enough time in the area you became acquainted with these symbols whether you were American or Italian. The functionalist perspective is valid here because where I lived was a not a big city, so because it is a military city, it relies on its military community to contribute to its economy by visiting its stores and eating at their restaurants. It creates a closer and good standing relationship with the military families who live there with the people who are native to the country. In Japan, you could compare the same perspectives. But in terms of similarities, the cultures were completely different. Instead of visiting the swap meets or