The experience
When I interviewed my Abby, it was over a voice call in the morning around 10 am. Everything during that time was quiet . Her side was also quiet and I could hear her voice clearly. When we started talking her voice sounded like someone who just woke up from sleep. But when I asked her about culture she paused a little bit and then spoke strongly with a deep and clear voice. During when she was quiet I had to stay quiet in order to respect her culture and or to make her think deeply without distraction. Listening to her made me feel like an outsider trying to understand something deeper.
When I asked Abby to define culture in her own way, she defined culture as “culture is about family and people who share the same values”. She explained that culture is not about where you are from, but rather about who you feel connected to. To her she feels like “when people have the same values, it’s easier to connect and build strong connections”. This stood up to me because most of the time I think of culture as food, language, or traditions. But Abby focused more on beliefs and connections.
Abby comes from Eastern Europe and she talked about tradition that are meaningful to her culture. One tradition mentioned was pouring water on girls during Easter. I was confused, because why pouring water on girls? But she told it as something fun and also symbolic. It brings people together and keeps the tradition alive. One other tradition was marriage. Marriage is taken seriously in her culture and it’s also based on respect, commitment and loyalty making it very important. For Abby, these traditions are memories connected to family childhood and belonging. They are experiences that shape how she understands loyalty. Love and responsibility.
Holidays play a big role in her culture. Abby told me Christmas Eve is celebrated more than Christmas Day. Making me confused because from what I know or see , people love Christmas Day more than any celebration. Her families gather, eat together, and stay united. She explained how food is one of the biggest ways to show love and respect to one another in her culture. She talked about dishes like goulash and different soups. Fried food is also common. Her culture comes from farming communities, and having a garden is seen as something to be proud of. It shows hard work and care for the family. Abby sounded proud when she talked about her culture’s food.
Food was how I understood her culture. Because I don’t celebrate Christmas or Christmas Eve like she does, but I know food brings people together. In my culture cooking and eating together shows love. When she talked about togetherness, it helped me feel a little closer to her even though I’m still an outsider.
Religion also plays a strong role. Abby said many people in her culture share the same religion, and most homes have crosses, because beliefs are shared, and there is a strong sense of togetherness. From my perspective, I can see how it creates unity and stability. At the same time, I also wonder how it will feel to think differently in a place where people believe in the same thing. As an outsider it helps me notice the strength in the community.
Music was something I was excited to ask Abby, because in my culture music is the best way to show love to each other. Abby talked about Hungarian folk music and how it teaches history and bring people together. Music is not just entertainment, but rather carries a story from the past. Since I also understand how music can shape identity, I connect to this part of her culture the most. For example, the traditional Hungarian folk dance performed by groups like the Hungarian State folk ensemble. To be honest, watching theses performances shows fast movements and live for the instruments. It makes me think of how my culture teaches children about history through this type of way.
Traditional Hungarian Folk Dance by Csardas
Abby also shares important life lessons from her culture. She said it teaches persistence and hardwork. Even when people fail, they are encouraged to raise again or to keep going. Togetherness is what makes people strong. This connects to the idea that “Culture is Ordinary”. For me as an outsider, I see something extraordinary in how united and supportive her community sounds like.
Raymond Williams says culture is part of everyday life. For Abby, celebrating Christmas Eve, respecting marriage and having religious symbols on top of homes are normal . They don’t seem special to her because she was born and raised there. But for me from what I have heard, her community sounds united.
Learning about Abby’s culture helped me reflect on my own. I realized I also have values that I think are normal, but they come from somewhere specific. Culture influences how we celebrate, how we love each other and how we define success. Being an outsider gave me a perspective. I could see connections that she might not see because she’s an insider. But I know I will never experience her culture the way she does. Abby’s culture is built on loyalty, shared belief, traditions and togetherness. These values shape who she is.
This connects to James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the village”. Baldwin explained how his perspective changes understanding. He described how it feels like to be an outsider in a place you don’t know. Reading Baldwin helped me in my interview. I can see Abby’s culture and analyze it, but I can’t fully experience it. I gain more understanding. There’s always a difference between seeing and living inside a culture.
To sum up, this interview showed me that culture shows how shared values create connections. Abby’s culture is built on shared values, strong traditions, religion, music,and togetherness.
AI Transparency
I used Ai to help me organize my work and stuff I struggle to think about. I used it to make my Citation and how to format my work.
Citation
Baldwin, James. “Stranger in the Village.” Notes of a Native Son, 1955.
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble. “Traditional Hungarian Folk Dance Performance.” YouTube, 1 Feb. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yNFXu-mQ04.
Hungarian State Folk Music. “Hungarian Folk Music Performance.” YouTube, 15 Mar. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKKM8J3y3G0
Dear Professor
This cultural profile was so exciting. In my Cultural Profile, I learned a lot about my writing and how I can improve. One strength in my work is that I clearly brought out my ideas and explained it and used examples to support them too. However, one weakness is that I need to go deeper in my analysis and explain my ideas more clearly instead of just describing them.
One Course Learning Outcome I worked on is formulating. In my cultural profile writing, I shared my point of view about my topic, but later realized I can make my argument stronger by connecting it more clearly to bigger ideas. Another CLO is writing goals and audience expectations. Because in my writing I tried to make my writing easy to understand, but I also need to make it more detailed and academic for my audience.
Overall , this assignment helped me see both my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Moving forward, I want to improve my analysis, make stronger arguments, and continue developing my writing style so it interests the audience or readers.
Sincerely,
Abdulkarim Salim
Important of Culture profile
My culture is important because it shapes my identity, values, and my daily life. My culture preserves traditions, language, and strong family connections. These things make me who I am and help me understand where I come from.
However, my culture is also at risk of being lost over time. We the younger generations may not follow traditions as much, and outside influences can change how people think and act. This creates a tension between keeping traditions and adapting to modern life.
My project explores this tension. It focuses on how people try to balance holding onto their culture while also adjusting to new environments. This is important because culture helps people feel a sense of belonging and identity.
Ai transparency
I used AI to help me brainstorm ideas, organize my writing, and improve clarity. I made sure to review and edit the responses so they reflect my own voice and understanding.To me AI is used as a support tool, not to replace my thinking or effort. All final ideas and writing choices are my own.
