This week, the beginning of the week and the end of the week have had a little bit of a different theme. On Tuesday, we discussed the Borderland and the mixing of cultures whereas Thursday’s reading was more tailored to the culture surrounding Home Alive.
To begin, the discussion on Tuesday was interesting. The poem “To live in the borderland” was a perspective that was new to me. The poem by Gloria Anzaldua was so powerful with the switch between English and Spanish and the imagery displayed throughout. When she describes her life in terms of “whole wheat tortillas” and “speak tex-me with a Brooklyn accent”.
I have very limited knowledge of what this push and pull of two cultures may feel like. I was raised by Italian American parents with similar cultural backgrounds and lived in Washington state my whole life. I never really considered my own role in this and how my own culture has influenced me in ways I didn’t even know.
I had never really thought about being pulled between two cultures. It had always been this idea that I know to exist from many of my friend’s experiences they have shared with me. I never viewed this to be an issue I dealt with myself. However, this week I am not as convinced.
On Thursday, the oral history of Seattle’s Home Alive recording as well as article on the interview with Laina Dawes was really very thought provoking. I really liked the line where she Therrien states, “ In all of our interviews we asked, “What was their takeaway message?” More or less in different words, it was, “You are worth defending.” You had better do what you can to keep yourself safe, and safety means taking care of yourself and valuing yourself, as Leah was saying.” This was a really powerful point to make and a new perspective to me. I had never thought about taking care of yourself and mental safety as well as a form of feminism.
I think I often take for granted how progressive we are on the west coast. My parents are from a small town in upstate New York and my dad did not want me to be raised in an environment whereas an Italian American your job was to take care of your home and your husband. This wasn’t always true, but it was a hard pattern to break that was deeply imbedded in our culture. Every time we go back east, it is a battle of how to act. Am I the Seattleite that was raised to split a check or am I the only women not helping to serve the men their dinner? What does it mean to value myself while also balancing culture?
Therefore, although at the beginning of the week I didn’t see much of a connection between Tuesday and Thursday’s readings, I think it really relates to me more than I even thought.
The first song I picked reminded me of the women empowerment and feeling worth it. It is called “you don’t own me” and is by SAYGRACE ft. G-Eazy. My favorite lyrics are “I'm young and I love to be young. I'm free and I love to be free.To live my life the way I want. To say and do whatever I please.”
The second song I picked was a song called “New Soul”by Yael Naim a French Israeli singer describing her journey as a “new soul” which I think is referencing her struggle with culture and what is appropriate. It is one of my favorite songs of all time as I feel it just relates to feeling lost and not knowing where to fit in which seems to fit into the ideas discussed on Tuesday.
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