Every now and then I do this thing where I submerge myself in a different culture. In middle school, it was French. I watched Amélie and listened to Paris Combo countless times. I dominated my French classes and was convinced that I would be moving to France in the near future.
In High school, I was all about Japan. I wanted to be one of Gwen Stefani's Harajuku girls and I loved the cartoon Hi Hi Puppy Ami Yumi. I also began visiting Japanese Street Style blogs religiously, spending HOURS on the sites seeing if I could emulate the style of the Japanese. I tried. I really did. I'm thankful for my interest in Japanese Street Style because it allowed me to experiment with style and pushed me to release my inner fashionista.
During my early college years, I was all about Chinese culture. I declared a minor in Chinese and my Mandarin skills were steadily improving. That ended because I valued interning over learning more Mandarin and could not take the next course that would allow me to go further in my new endeavor as a wannabe China girl. I sometimes kick myself because I desperately want to be fluent in another language besides English. I know broken Yoruba (my family's native tongue), but not enough to not get made fun of by Nigerian aunts and uncles. I also know enough French to understand dialogue from a French film.
Moving on, my current culture obsession is Irish. I am taking an Irish Steps & Studies class and I could not be more fascinated by everything I am learning. I also have a strong love for the Irish band The Script and Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Actually, it's more like obsessed with both. I'm currently taking applications for an Irish boyfriend who will buy me a Claddagh ring because I think they are darling to look at.
I often wonder where the root of my obsession with different cultures lies. Part of me thinks it has to do with me growing up in such a diverse community. I find people interesting. The thing about cultures is that they are circles you inevitably belong to. We all crave to be a part of something. And being a part of a specific culture (racially, natively, or geographically), helps shape the person we are. I guess I just want to be a part of all different cultures because I strive to be a non-ignorant person. Ignorance is the key to a lot of what's wrong in the world and I do not want to take part in that because as Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
I often wonder where the root of my obsession with different cultures lies. Part of me thinks it has to do with me growing up in such a diverse community. I find people interesting. The thing about cultures is that they are circles you inevitably belong to. We all crave to be a part of something. And being a part of a specific culture (racially, natively, or geographically), helps shape the person we are. I guess I just want to be a part of all different cultures because I strive to be a non-ignorant person. Ignorance is the key to a lot of what's wrong in the world and I do not want to take part in that because as Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
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