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Junhe Zhang
ENGLISH 113
Professor Jon Beadle
11 May 2016
Living in Multiple Spaces
All objects are exist in a big space, which is a composed by numerous amount of small spaces, like
a Russian nesting doll, with each space connecting to others and having certain communications
between them. The meaning of spaces is conceptual , like the culture of a group of people and the
identity of person, it defines what a culture is, what a individual is. Every single person is living in
multi spaces and has different identities, and the uniqueness of individuals represent the uniqueness
of different cultures. A unique individual has different identities due to living in various of spaces,
and unique people compose a unique culture. For me, I am living in a American space with my
Chinese culture, and also, I am a international student in CSUN, a Chinese friend of my foreign
friends, and I am a son of my parents. These roles shows the shape of my life that these did how I
am, besides, my dream and identity was set up by these roles.
First of all, my primary identity is Chinese. Since I was born, this identity already in my soul and
nothing can erase it. When I came to the US, I realized the uniqueness of my Chinese identity that is
my symbol belief, I will represent a part of Chinese culture when I do anything in America.
Additionally, I understood that the important and difficult of communication between cultures,
because the differences of language, norm, logic and so on. I did not have a good English when I
came to America with my traditional Chinese ideology, so I experienced a hard process of
communication with nature people here and I faced many situations of embarrassed, funny and
argument with friends, classmates, teachers and strangers. In the article of " Culture and
Communication", it says that " You manage your identities through your communication. At its most
basic, communication can be defined as the use of symbolic code to send messages and create

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meaning using language and behavior."(Karglo 4). Communication is the most important of people,
culture, even animals, this is the key of learning and self-identity. Language is the specific symbol of
a culture, which is the primary way of a person representing meaning and taking a identity for
himself. For example, I have heard various of language since I came to America, like Korean,
Spanish, French, Arabic and so on. When I hear people who use their own language chatting next to
me, I will roughly know where they are belong, and I will have a primary impression for them.
Therefore, I am studying English and logic of nature people to engage into their communities,
though I am still on the road so far. All of my friends who I got here have a impression of me is
traditional Chinese, I am not funny guy but always have a smile on face which use to make them
feeling odd, I do not talk a lot and a little shy, and do not get in touch with girls. These natures,
which make how I am being for my Chinese culture, are a part of my self-identity and the real
Chinese culture.
Besides, I am a international student in CSUN when I study at here, here is a group of
international students, which also have many small groups of each countries. It is certainly that we
are talking to people who have same language with us at first in a strange environment, because we
do not have fluency English that we can not have a great conversation with others who have different
languages. However, these small groups also have more smaller community. Depends on I am a
Chinese, I only introduce parts of Chinese students in CSUN as I know, here are several parts of
Chinese group. First, they usually travel everywhere of America and not really focus on studying.
Second is their family already have immigrated to here recently years, so they do not need worry
about anything but usually they have a hard studying. Third part is the most hard group, they do not
have so many friend and they barely have holiday, the main locations of them are campus and home.
These parts are the main consist of Chinese space at here, these appearances are only from my spaces
which can not represent all of Chinese here.
Third part of my space is the role of son, actually, this is the most important part of my life, the

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family is the breath of me. When I came to the US, I barely talked to my family, my mom asked have
a talking for me every day. But I ignored her for weeks, I didn't talk to anyone actually that I was
living in my small space for a while, until I had a basic English and got a Thai friend who does not
have great English as well. We studied together and living together for four month, then, he moved to
another city, we both got a basic skillful English. Finally, my dad blamed me that I made my mom
sad, and I realized that the family is the only group I really belong to in this world, I start to talk to
my mom everyday and I show her everything I experienced. This is my another role of my life, and
this is my family space for me that I feel love and the reason of my working and existing in this
world.
In a word, a traditional Chinese guy, international student, son of my parents, all of these roles
above are represent spaces, which I am living in. I transform to each character every day and These
character compose together being my own identity, which effect my thought, behavior, and my
future. Like what the Article "Self Identity and Culture" says "Your cultural identity is a reflection of
how your social and cultural groups influence your thoughts and behaviors. Cultural identity are
made up of connection with and acceptance in to a group that has shared symbols , meaning and,
norms for conduct. Cultural identities encompass all types of identities (e.g., gender identity, sexual
identity, age identity, and race and ethnicity identities) associated with social and cultural
groups."(Kurylo 127) Culture identity makes people where are they belong to and give them a type
of proud of their own culture, which also is the reason of conflicts between people. Besides self
identity is depended on the environment of people growing up, but this surrounding is effected by
culture as well. Therefore, self identity and cultural identity are interactive. The proud of people for
their culture might have some extreme mind for some people who are racism, in their mind, other
cultures do not have right to live with them and those are ignoble. So they are trying to destroy other
cultures, this is really harmful thought. Actually, the majority of people have peaceable mind that all
cultures are equal and have beautiful characteristic , but the line of them is nobody can insult their

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proud and culture, which is more important than their life.
Finally, after I wrote this essay, I have a new understanding of my identities, which are the
meaning of my life. I am living in many spaces, which affect my thought and behavior everyday and
I am changing these spaces at the same time. Therefore, there usually are several conflicts between
spaces and individuals, "And the strange thing is how similar the arcs of their stories are: they
recount how after a long period of suffering, prejudice and hatred, a group has carved a distinctive
place in the history of the United States."( Like in the space of Chinese international students, there
are many groups, which are composed by people who have different thought, even they might scorn
some of other groups, thus, conflicts are created by difference. " (Christopher, John, and Mark
Bickhard 5)when we find out how they actually live their lives, the choices they make, the social
practices they participate in, we often discover significant cultural differences." Because the
difference, your have to find yourself and showing your own identities to have a great life in the
world.

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Work Cite
Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler, & Tipton, 1985; Culture, Self and Identity, Etzioni, 1996
Christopher, John, and Mark Bickhard. "Culture, Self and Identity: Interactivist Contributions to a
Metatheory for Cultural Psychology." Culture & Psychology
Kurylo, Anastacia. Inter/Cultural Communication. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2013. Print
Kurylo, Anastacia."Self-Identity and Culture". Inter/Cultural Communication. Los Angeles: Sage
Publications, 2013. Print