Culture

It was an interesting discussion on culture in class. It reminded me of this past Thanksgiving. I went to Detroit to spend the holiday with my future in-laws. They moved to the U.S. in the 70s from India.

I brought cookies that my mom made called Bruschacka (sp?). My fiance's mother asked me where the tradition came from. My only response was, "it's either Irish, English, Swedish, or French". I'm a "mutt"--as in my family has been here a few generations and we didn't hold on to any one culture. It's too bad really. Other than food there isn't much we hung on to.

My fiance on the other hand speaks fluent Bengali--fully bi-lingual. His upbringing was so rich in culture...stories...traditions...and don't even get me started on how amazing the food is. I think sometimes he is taken aback at how fascinating I find his culture...how much I want to learn. When we have kids it is going to be such a struggle to keep his rich Indian heritage. I just bought my first book to try and learn Bengali. It's going to be a stretch for me to say the least.

We all have a subculture that we work in. I've blended really well with his family--we are learning from one another. We are all open to the experience and see the common threads that make us more similar than different...but sometimes what's lost in the melting pot is something really beautiful. And you have to work hard to not lose it.