Mixed Cultures: Growing up in a biracial and bicultural family
How does one determine what their ethnic background is? I am one that cannot determine mine. It is very hard to determinemy ethnic background when once asked, "What is your nationality?" The purpose of this paper is to explain in full how hard it could be to one in choosing a subject such as this. I have a number of races and cultures in my family. For example, my mother, Gihaan, was raised in an interracial and bicultural family. Her father, my grandfather, is one hundred percent Cherokee Native American born in Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother, my grand mother, is part Guyanese and part Argentinean born in Salivete', Panama. My mother was born and raised in Cau`de luVialle, a small village in Guyana. In Guyana, my mother was raised by her mother and aunt and bought up in the Islamic faith. ...growing up in this faith was very hard for me as a female. My mother and aunt were very strict on my sisters and I; it was harder on me because I was the oldest of the bunch...1My mother was not permitted to even speak to persons that did not follow this particular faith strictly. Gihaan had to wear long dark clothing that covered her body entirely; from her fingers to her toes. Every female, out of respect, is to do so for she will
10On November 12, 1981, I, Hyacynth-Marie Alexander, was born at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. How could one act like this in front of an older person? No respect I thought, but I would later come to realize it was a different !society that I was encountering. Allow me to back up so you can comprehend my father's childhood. In April of '87 my mother, brother and I went to live with my grandmother in Cau`de lu Vialle. I understood some words in the English language but not all of them because of this I had to enter an ESL class (English as a Second Language). These garments had to be worn even in the highest temperature. for this is giving honor to the all mighty Allah our savior. My mother, brother, and I would visit my grandmother and great aunt once a week; Georgetown was not that far from where they lived. A lot of people tend to misunderstand the Rastafarian religion; thinking that it is just about smoking Ganja at all hours of the day when in actuality it is not. Weed, marijuana, lah, thought food or what ever have you the correct term, in the Rasta's perspective, is Ganja. Do not take into account that Rasta's smoke weed all day and night and smoke it for fun like in America. This was especially new to my mother because she was used to being raised by females, she had never really been around men, besides her younger brothers. My father took more attention to me however because he noticed that I was getting older and I was beginning to question more.
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Acceptance Essays
