Student 46

Object 1 - Nail Polish

My first object is a bottle of pink nail polish. Growing up, I wasn’t accustomed to using nail polish, and nor did my mom encourage the use of nail polish. My mom used to think that painting your nails too frequently would expose you to an unnecessary amount of chemicals, ruining your natural beauty. This ideology developed as she was raised in India. In India, not many people encourage the use of chemical based beauty products, they typically stick to using natural ingredients. Even after moving to the United States, she retained the same ideology. Due to this she never allowed me to paint my nails, but as I entered my teenage years, and I saw the people around me had their nails painted, I too felt the desire to do that. After many months of convincing, my mom finally bought me my first bottle of nail polish.

Growing up, we are raised in the culture our parents choose, but once you are out in the world on your own, you are exposed to a vast variety of cultures. Some might find this beneficial to them as they can grow as a person and expand their horizons. However, others might realize that they like the knowledge they have already learned, and wouldn’t be as open to adopting new ideologies and beliefs. In the case of the nail polish, my mom had taken a while to be open to the idea of adopting new ideologies. Since I was raised surrounded by the western culture, I had been exposed to this ideology from the start. In the end, one can acquire new knowledge and build on their already existing knowledge by being open to the cultures around them.

Object 2 - Roomba Vacuum

My family bought a Roomba vacuum cleaner a few years ago. Up until that date, my family was a strong believer in using a hand vacuum and broom to clean the floors. My mom would sweep the house three times a week and my dad would vacuum the floors every weekend. Even in the summers when I would visit my grandparents, they would also sweep their floors with a broom. But in America, many people tend to use a robotic vacuum cleaner to clean their floors. When my family and I had first heard of this, we laughed, wondering why anyone would need a robot to do something we can do ourselves. As my parents grew older, they found it harder to clean the entire house by themselves, so we decided to invest in a robotic vacuum. Now, we use this vacuum cleaner to clean all the rooms in our houses that have carpet in them.

This situation shows culture has a significant impact on how we think. One’s culture builds who they are and what they believe in. Their culture also creates central norms for their day to day life. Stepping out of these personal boundaries and learning about the norms of other people can be quite shocking. Most people around you don’t have the same habits or ideologies as you. Being exposed to these new perspectives can either be beneficial or have no effect at all. Just like my family, one can be ignorant of an ideology, but then find it beneficial later on. My parents were so used to doing things on their own, that they were reluctant to adopt the idea of having technology aid them in their daily lives.

Object 3 - SeaWorld Snow Globe

When I was a little girl, we used to live very close to SeaWorld. SeaWorld is an American theme park that's main attraction is their aquatic animals. As this theme park was very close to my house, my family and I would go very frequently. My family is originally from India, where there were hardly any aquariums, until more recently. Going to SeaWorld for the first time, I was amazed. I didn’t know how one could make the orcas and sea lions do tricks. I didn’t know how there were so many different kinds of fish. I didn’t know why so many people would come from all over the city to see animals do tricks. No matter how many times we went, I would never get bored. During my last trip before I moved to a different city, my dad bought me a snowglobe from their gift shop.

One’s culture can restrict their exposure to the world and what they know about it. When someone sees something they’ve never seen before, they can be scared or astonished. In my case, I was astonished, but someone else could have been scared. Some cultures are strict on not letting their people be exposed to the outside world, out of the fear that they might assimilate into a different culture or adopt the customs of another culture. Although this fear can be justified, sometimes it is beneficial to step out of your comfort zone. Being exposed to various cultures and expanding your knowledge of the world around you can help you grow as a person. On the other hand, some people might be open to new cultures, but they never get a chance to experience it till later on. In my case, I was fortunate enough to be able to experience the western culture from a young age. I was also fortunate enough to be able to grow up being exposed to two cultures from two ends of the world. Going to SeaWorld and getting that snow globe is a reminder to me of how different cultures can be and how limited my knowledge was prior to that experience.