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After that, my family and I moved to the outskirts of Mobile, Alabama as my dad attends the University of Southern Alabama for a ROTC program for him to become an officer rank in the Army. This is the farthest I can ever remember being a toddler growing up for a couple of years in Southern Alabama. We lived in a trailer in a trailer park that is almost out in the country. Back in El Paso, Texas we lived in a regular home on base where all the homes on base looks exactly the same from one another because its a military base. Homes are uniformed on military bases. After a few years in Alabama then that's when my family moved up in Virginia on a military base called Fort Lee in Petersburg and Hopewell. So yeah, I grew up with a military dad and a family for awhile until 2002 when my dad retired from the Army and we moved into the nice middle-class suburbs of Richmond and Colonial Heights. My environmental culture in America was living in majority white middle-class neighborhoods with only some minorities in Prince George, Chesterfield, Spotsylvania, and Stafford, Virginia. My neighborhoods in Prince George, Spotsylvania, and a little bit of Chesterfield were short of out in the country. So living out in the semi-country and country area did short of made me feel and act a little redneckish sometimes. I would only act more redneckish whenever later in life when I visit my older sister and her family and them as they're living out in the countryside of Prince George County, VA.
My parents were eventually divorced in 2006 while living in Lee's Hill in Spotsylvania. For awhile I lived with a single parent until I had a step-mom and a step-dad. I have two brothers and two sisters but most of them have different moms and dads from one another, and I have a little step-sister from my step-dad. I have different ethnic origin background in me. I am mixed with Mexican American and/or Mexican, some Native American like Cherokee, Creeks, and Aztecs, Korean and Japanese, and Anglican, Finnish Scandinavian, and Mexican white. But I grew up looking very Hispanic while my close family members looked more white than anything else. My step family are whites with ethnic origins from France, Germany, and England. However, I grew up and lived mostly white than anything else while sometimes I will act and feel short of Hispanic/Latino. I like playing and watching sports like football, lacrosse, baseball, and soccer. I also like hunting, shooting, snowboarding, exercising, watching TV and playing video games, and hanging out with friends, pets, and family.
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My political views are mostly Republican Conservative and some Moderates. I have a lot of likes and pride for my own country America. My religion is Christian and sometimes Baptism but it doesn't really matter as long as I really love, believe in, and follow Jesus Christ. Like I said I grew up around family members and some friends who are mostly living in a white American culture in Virginia usually in the suburbs and out in the country but still middle-class. Right now I'm having newer friends that are blacks and a few Hispanics in my area. I grew up and lived most of my life in Virginia from Prince George, Chesterfield, to Stafford and the Fredericksburg area. I've been outside of my region and a little bit of my culture on some occasions. My languages are English and some Spanish, and a little bit of Portuguese. I primarily speak and use English any where I go. I only speak and use Spanish with someone who speaks and knows Spanish, mostly a Latino/Latina person, but that's short of less common according to where I live and hangout. My music preferences are Rap, Hip-Hop, Rock, Heavy Metal Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Rap music, some old Gangster Rap music, and modern day Trap-style Rap music. Once in a occasion I would enjoy listening to Country music.
That's my American culture that I lived, grew up, and was exposed to.
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I can certainly relate to a lot of what you have written. While I was not born in the south-west, my family has lived in Yuma, AZ in 2, 3 years stints. The first rotation we lived on MCAS Yuma. Your description of base housing is spot on. Granted, the houses were much nicer there than at the bases on Okinawa. Being less than 20 miles from the border, Yuma is not the safest place in the world. I lived in North Carolina for 4 years after my father finished OCS. Those years, living in Virginia, and traveling around to visit friends forms my experiences with the south. Many of your interests are the same as mine. I love football and outdoor activities. Judging for what you wrote you seem like you are a well-rounded person that has already experienced more in your life than most ever do.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post. You mention "white" America and I'm curious. Is this the more "European" American model--a more "rural" one that you found here in Virginia?
ReplyDeleteI find that in Northern Virginia, at least, this segmented type of society seems to be going by the wayside. Our area is a real United Nations, and I think it's fantastic that so many people get to interact and learn from one another. It sounds like you're having the blend right in your extended family.
Hey Mrs. Julie Quinn, yeah there are some parts of Northern Virginia that are multicultural or the United Nations like but there are parts that are predominantly black and/or white. Cities and towns in Northern Virginia like Arlington, Alexandria, Annandale, Manassas, Woodbridge, Dale City, Chantilly, and a few other areas in Fairfax and Prince William County are usually the multicultural or the United Nations type. But if you go down south into Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Fredericksburg those areas are not well multicultural like Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and Prince William. Down there its mostly blacks and whites with some Hispanics/Latinos caught in the middle. The blacks down there are the usual African American type, most of the whites has ethnic origins from the British Iles, Ireland, Germany, Poland, and a little bit of France and the Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that my family and the extended family was all originally a mixture of different ethnicities and races into one. But right now and ever since, my family and some of my extended ones has become more white as I grew up. My step-families are all very white, my in-laws and others that are close by are very white as well. My Native American background like most Native Americans are bred out, my Asian side other than my paternal grandma we have no contact with because we don't know who they are very well since my paternal grandparents mostly hid them away from everybody else. My Mexican or Hispanic/Latino extended family is dying out and blending in with regular American whites and/or they are living too far away in Texas, California, Nevada, and some other places in the Southwest for mutual contact. Now its on me who would I marry and/or have a family with in the future or soon that would either keep my close by local existing family white (Northwestern European origins) or could perhaps change up the demographics and such. If it would to change up the demographics for my close by local existing family, that ethnic change up would most likely be another Hispanic/Latino race or ethnicity coming into my family.
Jason, Hopefully you'll marry for love; culture has evolved significantly enough that the changes that are happening create more diversity and access to others' culture and experience. Keeping so insular can cause community strife when those differences are feared, instead of celebration.
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