The Blue House with a Picket Fence

I am currently in a Multicultural Education class, and for that class I had the assignment of finding three items in my apartment that represented me ethnically, socially, and culturally. At first it was difficult, but I think these three items sum up my ethnic, social, and cultural background fairly well.

First of all, and perhaps best of all, is my apron.

This apron represents so many aspects of my current life and my upbringing. I love to cook very much. I gained that love from my mother (who gained it from her mother, who gained it from her mother, who gained it from her mother...), who was a stay at home mom my entire childhood. My dad has a nine to five job, and my mother always made sure there was a home cooked meal when he got home. We ate dinner as a family every night. In that way, the apron represents my white, conservative, middle class upbringing. It emphasizes the importance of gender roles in my background, and the value of good food to bring family together. Fittingly, I made the apron with my mother this summer. In a way I think it is symbolic of me preparing to fill a similar role.
Currently, cooking and baking are an important way for me to socialize. I frequently--several times a week at least--make food for my roommates and friends to show my love for them, and to create a social experiences.

The next item I chose to represent me is my calculator.

I didn't think of it at first, especially because I think this calculator is older than me, but this calculator also is symbolic of the culture I grew up in. My dad is a Civil Engineer, and has always taught me and my siblings the importance of a good education. He told us we could be whatever we wanted to be and to go for it educationally. Not going to college wasn't even an option in my home. It was expected for everyone to get higher education.  One of my dad's favorite phrases is that he is a proud "academic supporter." He and my mother always provided the support and encouragement I needed to succeed in school.
I am going to be a High School Physics Teacher, so I followed in his science and math footsteps. Fittingly, this calculator was my dad's. In giving it to me, he was also handing down the value of education and the sciences. I am so glad to have been raised in a culture where it is okay for women to get an education and where women can be interested and succeed in subjects that are traditionally male--like Physics.

The last item I chose is my paperback copy of the Book of Mormon.

It would be wrong of me to try to represent my background without including a reference to my religion as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It impacts every day of my life and how I view everything. I read the Book of Mormon every day. Currently I am using a paperback copy to highlight everything that I should do or be, either as the Lord specifically commands or as I see in the good examples of the people discussed.
However, the Book of Mormon represents so much more than just the time I spend studying it every day. It represents how my faith impacts my relationships, my goals, and my daily activities. There are many traditions that I don't even think about that shape my daily life. The way I dress, what I eat, where I am going to school currently, how I spend my time, all are impacted by this perspective. I grew up near Logan, Utah where the overwhelming majority of people were members of the same church as me. We shared a common vocabulary and expectations for our futures. Our shared background values families, education, and self sufficiency. Because of the teachings of the Book of Mormon and the church, those are the things that I and other members of the church focus on for our futures.

I chose to title this blog post The Blue House with a Picket Fence, because the phrase itself is symbolic of the ideas that I have attached to my three items. I really did grow up in a blue house with a picket fence. I grew up conservative, middle class, white, in the country, with incredible stability. I had never moved before I came to college. I was very much a part of the majority culture of my community in every way. It is amazing how easy it is to take my background for granted because no part of it was ever challenged or questioned while I was growing up. I didn't know there was any other way to live. I suppose many people must feel that way...