Hw 34- Cool Pose-Cultural Maps

I do have a cultural map. Here's proof: Ask me if I am going to go to college and unhesitatingly, I'll say yes. Of course. Not because I'm conceited or anything but because that is my cultural map and those are the options given to me. Not going to college isn't even a choice. At least not where my parents and grandparents are concerned. This seems to be one of the typical maps given by the Asian culture. In college, Asians are actually an overrepresented minority so its obvious that this is valued as a neccessity almost.

Sometimes I'll hear from an adult that college doesn't necessarily pave the way to success, that people have been able to make it without and own businesses without a college education and getting experience in the field is better. But ultimately my cultural map, trumps that because I'll rationalize that college can give me real world experience since many are now offering co-ops and internship as a supplement to what is taught in the classroom. In the end having a degree simply looks better on a resume than not. In today's world, going to college is, well, expected. Its in the media, teenagers going to college, whether they're depicted as getting an education or just partying. But the fact of the matter is, the rate of teenagers applying and attending colleges is on the rise.

Family
What's funny, isn't the fact that I have American values instilled in me , but the fact that being here has affected my mom's own cultural map as well. I think my mom has been here long enough that she is adopted values from the American cultural map. She doesn't want me to be a doctor or lawyer, she says she just wants me to do what makes me happy. That's nice, albeit slightly reminiscent of some movies I had seen in my childhood with her. It clashes too, because the next moment she'd tell me to get a job in finance.

I used to think my family was very conservative values wise. I think its part of American culture, to start romantic relations young, because its fairly common for kids in America to start dating as early as middle school; from what the signals I had gotten from my family, that wasn't as encouraged. When I was younger, my mom told me that I wasn't allowed to date until I was 27 because I should be focused on school (she was kidding about the age...I think). Most of my friend's parents are the same way with them...although they probably given a more reasonable age to start romantic relationships, some of them has started romantic relationships nonetheless. Recently though, my mom has actually encouraged me to start dating....along with my aunt. So their turnabout is a bit bizarre to me. I wonder if its another adoption from the American cultural map.

One particular situation in which my cultural map clashes with my mother's and aunt's is when my mom and aunt would tell me to find a rich guy to take care of me. I'd get angry at them for saying that and tell them that I'd be the rich one and that if I even end up getting married, I'd make enough to get a househusband instead of the other way around. That was my retort to them, because I saw their cultural map as outdated, and I thought and I still do think that I am fully capable of taking care of myself.

Books influence
I was a huge bookworm when I was younger, I still am today but not to the same extent. I think, alot of what I want to follow on my own map comes from what I've read in my childhood. I've progressed from novels to nonfiction to manga and now back to novels and nonfiction stories but I can kind of see from what happens with characters in those stories what I want for myself, that I would want to see in my life.

What I want is to find peace with myself and in my life. I have moments like that now and I want to continue having those moments. I don't really picture any drama or have any particular want for it. In the future I want to be able to continue learning and trying new things (I want peace with myself but that doesn't mean stagnation) and keep good relationships with my friends and family and have shared adventures and experiences with everyone. I want to live. I also want a cat. That's where my own cultural map seems to be leading. See, according to our cultural map certain things make sense to us and that's what makes sense to me.