"Musical Mormon Chillin' with the Fam"

All of us are different. We all have had different cultural backgrounds and experiences that have truly shaped us into the people that we are now and that we will become. Want to know a little about mine? Well then, keep reading!

Life in a big Family

My whole life has been centered on my family. Growing up, I never really needed to hang out with my friends because I always was content to be with my family. When you have 8 siblings, there is always something going on, and you are never alone. I think this had a huge impact on the person that I am today. When you have a family that large, you have to learn how to share, how to not always be the center of attention, and to understand that you are not always going to get your way. I also had to learn many lessons about where true happiness comes from. With my parents trying to support that many children, we often had to go without some of the extra “frills” of life. But this helped me to understand that money is not what you need to have a fun time with the people that you love. These experiences and lessons have shaped my way of thinking and have helped me to see what matters most in life: The people that you are with, the memories that you can create.

Music to my Heart.

My mom has always believed that if we are to be successful, well-rounded people, we need to be able to play an instrument and be musically literate. When I was 9 years-old, I didn’t agree, but now I couldn’t be more grateful that my mom forced me to take piano lessons, with violin lessons shortly thereafter. Music is one of the biggest aspects of my life, and has grown to be one the most common outlets that I use to define myself.  It is a way for me to express myself in a way that can’t be show in any other form. Playing either the violin or piano has always been a way for me to calm down, to relieve stress, and to just simply do something that I love. I have come a long way since I was an Elementary School student that would fight with her mom about why she wanted to quit music lessons.

“I am a Child of God”

I know who I am, and I know my purpose here on earth. If there is one cultural identity of mine that defines me the most, it would have to be my religious beliefs. I am a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and my beliefs and practices shape everything that I do, and everything that I am. I have been a member my whole life and I have learned these values and principles from my parents. These teachings have shaped my life and make a huge influence on the choices and decisions that I make daily. I have always participated in this way of life, but my true conversion came when I served a mission in Madrid, Spain. I experienced a whole new way of life, and I truly learned for myself that my religion is how I want to define myself. 

Well that is just a little taste of who I am, and those things that shape my cultural identity. I encourage all of you to think about those things that have defined you in order to understand more about your own culture and identity.

******Note to followers: This post has been in response to a class project.