Awareness of Microaggressions

Reflecting on this past week it is difficult to detect what micro aggressions I may observe. I feel micro aggressions have become part of society and until I learned more about it is then I realized little things and small comments people make that now I realize have a bigger impact. A micro aggression I face a lot has to do with my age; being in a supervisor position at a young age I tend to get little remarks from colleagues such as “ before your time” or “ in 20 years I’ve been doing this” to in a way put me down and lose confidence in decisions. When people makes these comments it upsets me and makes me feel I need to do something to counteract the fact that I am young. This observation helped me to understand that discrimination happens in all sizes and that there is a stereotype that a young person does not know more than someone older than them. I feel that even people the same age know different thing through their experiences and it does not mean one person knows more than the other and I feel that is the same with age. We all bring something to the table and should not put each other down for it.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

        For this week's assignment I interviewed three of my colleagues, a woman from India,  a Hispanic woman,  and an older gentleman. I learned many things from my conversations with my colleagues how different cultures focus on certain aspects to of what we define as culture. When I asked the woman from India what was her definition of culture she started discussing traditions, foods, rituals and language. She described here cultures' many different traditions such as their various festivals and how this week they were celebrating many different festivals and brought in some  left over food! When I asked the Hispanic woman what her definition of culture was she discussed more about relationships and respect for your elders, she also mentioned religion playing a large role in culture.  When talking with the older gentleman he described culture as a mixture of past and present; meaning the mixture of old and new traditions.
         I feel many people at first think of their own surface culture when asked about culture and then eventually get into deeper aspects of their culture. Talking with three different people about culture I have learned that everyone has their own view of culture and what characteristics are more important than others to influence their own individual culture.

My Family Culture

             If a catastrophe occurred in my country my first priority would to bring my family where ever I was going. When thinking of three items that I would bring with me that represents my family culture is hard because many of our traditions are actions that are surrounded by family.  
              One item I would make sure I would be able to take is my engagement ring.  I would want my engagement ring because it is a family heirloom that has been passed down to the woman in my family that I would like to  continue. The second item I would bring is my bible. Throughout my life I have been able to turn to prayer and focus my energy on my faith. The last item I would bring with me is a picture of my grandparents in front of our family store. That store has so many  memories and encompasses my family's culture that leaving it behind will be devastating. 
         If I could only choose one item it would be the picture of my grandparents and the store because it has so much meaning behind it the hard work and love that went into it and the sacrifices my family has taken.
            It is always hard to leave any of your  possessions behind but  it is good in case of a crisis you know what you would like to save.