Colette Fahning

EDU 280

6/8/21

Cultural Autobiography

My identity surrounding my culture, family, and heritage has always been a bit muddled.

With a mom who was adopted and knows little about her biological family and a father who I

haven’t spoken to in twelve plus years, how could it not be? I still don’t fully know where my

family began, or where my last name originated from. Because of this, I attribute most of who I

am to my immediate family and where I grew up. I am the most like my mom. Strong willed,

boisterous, and methodical. I still find myself saying things that she would say to me as a kid

(chicken butt, ten cents a pound!) or mirroring the exasperated expression she pulls when there

are too many people in the kitchen. I’m always butting heads with my dad, but we’re pretty

similar too; hard working perfectionists with a penchant for overthinking. I also grew up moving

around constantly just like my parents, so I find that we all have different accents and habits. I

started saying y’all after eleven years in Texas, and my mom still exclaims how larpin’ good

food is, which is why I like to call us the patchwork family. Despite this, we are fiercely

protective of one another and prioritize family time over anything else. Now, with my husband

thrown in the mix, his culture is a part of ours. He is a first generation American, since both of

his parents were born and raised in Mexico. Since becoming a part of his family, I find myself

speaking broken Spanglish at his parents’ house. I know that as we have our own children, we

will develop a new line of family that feels a connection to their culture. For me though, I still

find myself disconnected from my extended family and my past relatives. I hope that this class

not only aid me in learning about other students’ culture, but my own culture as well.