Angela N.
Cultural Differences and Mental Health
Imagine if you were naked in a room full of taller strange creatures speaking in a different language. Occasionally, these creatures will touch you and rub you and give you treats. This is life from a dog’s perspective. Does a dog know that it’s a dog? How do we define consciousness? More importantly, how do we define identity? For a time, my life was similar to a dog, in the sense I was around people who spoke a different language. When I was a young child, around eight years old, my life turned upside down. I was just a girl in a small village of Vietnam. Suddenly, I was surrounded by foreign people and huge skyscrapers! My family had moved to America. Growing up in America when I was born in Vietnam resulted in a lot of problems. My parents used me as their government document translator when I barely knew English. More importantly, my identity split into two. I spoke Vietnamese at home and English when I was at school. I conformed to American traditions while maintaining my native roots. Over time, the English side became my main identity. However, being Vietnamese defines who I am.
Americans are very caring. As portrayed in movies, and witnessed in real life through my friends, American families tend to convey physical and vocal love. Opposed to Eastern-Asian families, specifically Vietnamese, love is shown through action and quality time. My family doesn’t really say “I love you.” That’s just something we know, therefore we feel no need to say it. I believe love is done through action rather than words. I found it strange when I saw my friends hug their parents or ended every call with an “I love you.” When my father passed away from cancer, my family grew closer yet more distant at the same time. Initially, I don’t think any of us fully confronted his death. We grew more isolated. Over time, our relationship healed. For example, my little brother and I are very close now. We go to concerts togethers, go out to eat frequently, and I can confide in him about my problems. It’s impossible to talk to my mom about emotional problems regarding my dad because she is still rooted in our Vietnamese traditions. I enjoy both sides of love portrayed in American and Vietnamese cultures. It is nice to hear “I love you” because it is an affirmation. We’re humans, sometimes we forget we are loved and we need love. Isolation is proven to be unhealthy and it is important to be social. However, words are useless without action. The Vietnamese traditions rooted in me is shown through the actions I do for my younger brother and sister.
Although I tried to adapt to the American lifestyle of love, through gifts and vocal affirmation, I encountered many problems socially. I want to believe what people say, but I am used to actions defining character. Over time, people saw this weakness I had in me and took advantage of me. This caused me to be more self aware and notice how people are treating me. Are they just saying things I want to hear or do they actually mean them? I am more hesitant to believe new people I meet. This is a hindrance because most people are trustworthy. I should trust people until they give me a reason not to trust them anymore. I enjoy the vocal affirmations because I never received it from my parents. It’s nice to hear sometimes.
The traits I’ve acquired from my Vietnamese side has benefited me greatly. At a young age, I could speak fluently in two languages. I believe this is important for all human beings. Language is a beautiful thing and it works parts of the brain in unique ways. I have learned many things from growing up in America but I think I prefer the things I learned in Vietnam. I enjoy the gifts, physical love, and vocal love aspect of it. However, I think it is important for me to keep true to my heritage. I believe your background is crucial in your development and it really shapes your character. My background is Vietnam. I was just raised in America.
Americans are very caring. As portrayed in movies, and witnessed in real life through my friends, American families tend to convey physical and vocal love. Opposed to Eastern-Asian families, specifically Vietnamese, love is shown through action and quality time. My family doesn’t really say “I love you.” That’s just something we know, therefore we feel no need to say it. I believe love is done through action rather than words. I found it strange when I saw my friends hug their parents or ended every call with an “I love you.” When my father passed away from cancer, my family grew closer yet more distant at the same time. Initially, I don’t think any of us fully confronted his death. We grew more isolated. Over time, our relationship healed. For example, my little brother and I are very close now. We go to concerts togethers, go out to eat frequently, and I can confide in him about my problems. It’s impossible to talk to my mom about emotional problems regarding my dad because she is still rooted in our Vietnamese traditions. I enjoy both sides of love portrayed in American and Vietnamese cultures. It is nice to hear “I love you” because it is an affirmation. We’re humans, sometimes we forget we are loved and we need love. Isolation is proven to be unhealthy and it is important to be social. However, words are useless without action. The Vietnamese traditions rooted in me is shown through the actions I do for my younger brother and sister.
Although I tried to adapt to the American lifestyle of love, through gifts and vocal affirmation, I encountered many problems socially. I want to believe what people say, but I am used to actions defining character. Over time, people saw this weakness I had in me and took advantage of me. This caused me to be more self aware and notice how people are treating me. Are they just saying things I want to hear or do they actually mean them? I am more hesitant to believe new people I meet. This is a hindrance because most people are trustworthy. I should trust people until they give me a reason not to trust them anymore. I enjoy the vocal affirmations because I never received it from my parents. It’s nice to hear sometimes.
The traits I’ve acquired from my Vietnamese side has benefited me greatly. At a young age, I could speak fluently in two languages. I believe this is important for all human beings. Language is a beautiful thing and it works parts of the brain in unique ways. I have learned many things from growing up in America but I think I prefer the things I learned in Vietnam. I enjoy the gifts, physical love, and vocal love aspect of it. However, I think it is important for me to keep true to my heritage. I believe your background is crucial in your development and it really shapes your character. My background is Vietnam. I was just raised in America.