My Culture

The American culture is full of mixed collections of beliefs and values spread through divergent multitudes of people. Diversity has a huge impact on the American culture because the varied customs extended across the nation combine to make one country of divided yet coexisting lifestyles. Each being has their own set of ethics and morals that define them.

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This is my culture...

"I'm from Virginia where nothing to do but cook." - The Clipse 

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I was raised in the northern and southern regions which look like two different dimensions in comparison to each other. Anybody who visits anywhere above Richmond would question if Virginia is truly the south at all. The closer the range to DC, the more of an industrial feel you receive. This complex mix of city life with rural makes for an atmosphere mixed with completely different living conditions.

I have experienced the perks of living so close to the nation’s capital and being able to visit world renowned sites so many times that it watching the excitement lighting up the face of each tourist is more impressive than the accessibility I take for granted. The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Museum, even the White House has worn out its welcome to my shortening attention span. I have been around this and grew going there so much that it is expected.

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Southern Virginia is a completely different ballgame. The simplistic feel of Richmond and down deliver a space of comfort. The world seems to move a lot slower outside of the city area. This is where my roots are because both sides of my family settled there to raise my parents. When I’m there I can feel the nostalgia of growing up and spending my summers outside before everything became so real.

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Pocahontas, John Smith, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, A.P. Hill, George Mason, Nat Turner, Booker T. Washington, Missy Elliott, Timberland, Pharrell Williams, Jason Bateman, Allen Iverson, Russell Wilson. So many recognizable names shared this culture with me from their own perspective and experience. No matter who you are and what you become, your culture is always with you and in you.