Blog Assignment: My Family Culture

ATTENTION READERS!!!!

THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING
 ASSIGNMENTS I HAVE HAD SO FAR!!!!

For this assignment I had to............

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture (And then some twists are put in).

MY STORY (No snatchies! lol):

After the devastation hit, most of my family and I were lucky enough to survive.  I couldn't believe we made it through.  It still seems like a movie a bad movie we were forced to be a part of.  But I thank God we made it.  U.S. troopers arrived the following day giving us orders that a neighboring country will take us in as refugees we have 15 minutes to gather 1 change of clothes each and take on 3 small items with us.  I was thinking...Lord, how do I compile my family's life in 15 minutes and 3 small items?  But I have to think fast and my children and I scramble to get clothing I decide to take the three items that represent who we are since chances are we may never see this country again.


I pick up my Bible...the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  It has a sky blue, velvet binding it was a gift from my mother and I hold it dear to my heart.  The word has kept us covered for too long to leave it behind.  It has protected us in turmoils and I'm not sure if the new country has it.  But my family and I need it! And if this new country knows nothing about it we can help teach them.


I pick up my Ipod touch w/charger.  It holds so many variations of the bible, pictures, movies and music that me and my children grew up on.  So it will make them feel at home.  We can keep our cultural songs, spiritual hymns, and home movies from our past to remind who we were and what we've come from and made it through.  And like wise it may hold some motivation, if we find other people like us.


The last item I pick up is, a small poetry book full of inspirational poems.  My mother always told me to keep a poem in my pocket and a song in my heart and I'll always be alright.  And just as these inspirations have kept me going all these years, I know it will also keep my children as well and I will encourage them to keep a poem in their pocket and a song in their hearts.


We rush out to the helicopter, it's an emotional ride my family is tired and scared and hungry.  And I feel helpless and at the mercy to the government around us.  Once we reach the borders of this new country, we're told that we can only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items we brought with us.  I cry, but only briefly.  What do I choose?  I remember most of those poems by heart so I can recite them, so that one I can give up easily.  But what do I choose...my Ipod or Bible?  My Ipod has EVERYTHING IN IT including many variations of the Bible.  But what if it breaks?  Then everything is lost!  I have no SD card, no computer, nothing that has those things backed up!  And even if I did...where would I go to restore it?  I'm poor, I have no money, no means for anything...hell, I don't even have a socket to charge it up!  But I will always have that Bible.  It's word would remain!  I would still be able to teach my children and help them grow and prosper and it's water proof!  I choose my Bible, scoop my children in my arms pick up the back pack with our belongings and walk towards the camp.


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Are there any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

YES!!!!  I learned that when faced with hard decisions I would have to let go almost all of the things that I FELT meant something to me to preserve the ONE thing I know that matters.  The biggest part of my culture is the way we pray, praise and worship God, and I don't know how I could even begin to cope if I was forced to give that up.  I wouldn't be able to.