Autobiographical (Roots) Essay I come from two different ethnic groups. I am always trying to balance the two cultures. My identity as a female college student, my ethnicity of a mixed race: Indian and Russian, and becoming involved in two completely different religions have been shaped by different factors over the years. I am going to discuss what contributed to my personal identity in terms of values, worldview, and how I interact with others. The first factor in my identity is my ethnicity, half Indian and half Russian. In Indian families the oldest male of the family is usually in charge of the household. This relates to my personal identity because my father takes the lead in making decisions in my family, and brings money to the
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My father’s religion is Sikhism, and in that religion the belief is that there is only one God. We are expected to go to a Gurdwara, which is a Sikh temple that practices the religion in order to cope with life problems. The religion emphasizes that we should undertake good actions, rather than conducting rituals. It is a rule to remove our shoes, and cover our heads with a cloth or turban before we go 3inside the temple. This is a form of showing respect before entering God’s place. Sikhs are known to reject the caste system. This is because they believe everyone has an identical status from God’s perspective. However, my father does not follow this belief. It shapes my identity because it gives me a general history of my family and a sense of moral security. An explicit rule in the culture is communicating toward others with emotions, and body language. An implicit rule that everyone is aware of is the way we greet each other. When elders come to our home we are expected to greet them “Namaste” by pressing our hands together and touching our elders’ feet as a form of showing respect. These implicit, and explicit rules influenced my identity based on my behaviors and how I act. My mother’s religion is Jewish and every week they follow the Sabbath which begins on Friday and lasts until Saturday. During this time, they do not watch television, answer phone calls, nor work a busy schedule. They look forward to this ritual because they take time out from their busy lives to feel special. My mother’s family is not quite religious, however these are the customs that contribute to my identity when I see other family members do it. Being half Sikh and half Jewish is the religion I was born into so it had an impact on my values, but I do not practice Sikhism or
My father’s religion is Sikhism, and in that religion the belief is that there is only one God. We are expected to go to a Gurdwara, which is a Sikh temple that practices the religion in order to cope with life problems. The religion emphasizes that we should undertake good actions, rather than conducting rituals. It is a rule to remove our shoes, and cover our heads with a cloth or turban before we go 3inside the temple. This is a form of showing respect before entering God’s place. Sikhs are known to reject the caste system. This is because they believe everyone has an identical status from God’s perspective. However, my father does not follow this belief. It shapes my identity because it gives me a general history of my family and a sense of moral security. An explicit rule in the culture is communicating toward others with emotions, and body language. An implicit rule that everyone is aware of is the way we greet each other. When elders come to our home we are expected to greet them “Namaste” by pressing our hands together and touching our elders’ feet as a form of showing respect. These implicit, and explicit rules influenced my identity based on my behaviors and how I act. My mother’s religion is Jewish and every week they follow the Sabbath which begins on Friday and lasts until Saturday. During this time, they do not watch television, answer phone calls, nor work a busy schedule. They look forward to this ritual because they take time out from their busy lives to feel special. My mother’s family is not quite religious, however these are the customs that contribute to my identity when I see other family members do it. Being half Sikh and half Jewish is the religion I was born into so it had an impact on my values, but I do not practice Sikhism or