Running Head: MY CULTURAL IDENTITY 1

My Cultural Identity

Bianca Yegutkin

College of Southern Nevada

MY CULTURAL IDENTITY 2

My Cultural Identity
Writing a well-constructed and eloquent paper about what culture consists of is not an

easy task. Culture is a subject that is complex, with layers upon layers of categories,

subcategories, definitions, and concepts. The evolution of culture, or rather the evolution of how

we as a society value, perceive and define culture has exponentially expanded our

interpretations. Trying to determine culture feels like being asked to neatly summarize all the

contents of a dictionary into one or two paragraphs, not easy.

Asking to write about your own culture . . . Big gulp and gasp. On top of the complexities

mentioned above associated with discussions of our personal culture, there is an element of

introspection and vulnerability with every click of the keyboard. What is appropriate to share,

what if people judge, how do I narrow down and

simplify? Of course, at the end of the day, my

fear of failing this class overrode my fear of

writing, so . . . Deep breath … here is my humble

attempt to explain my cultural identity, please be

kind.

To describe my ethnic and racial identity

clinically and straightforwardly, I could say that

my mother is a second-generation Mexican-

American and that my father was of European

ancestry. However, that does not explain how my

My beloved maternal grandparents,
Raymond and Anita Perales in the early 50s.
circumstances and experiences shaped my own
Both are first-generation Mexican-
Americans. I’m blessed to still have them
feelings regarding my racial and ethnic
both.
MY CULTURAL IDENTITY 3

background, which is much more

complicated. While I speak very

little Spanish, look Caucasian, and

have never been to Mexico, my first

concept and sense of ethnicity was

of Mexican heritage.

How we identify and define, our

My maternal grandparents, at a restaurant in Milwaukee a
ethnicity is tied into our families, few years ago for my grandfather’s birthday party.

where they come from, their traditions, their histories. While my mother and father were

childhood sweethearts who later married, my father was absent from my life. Also, and related to

this discussion, my father’s family was not in my life at all. My maternal family was my whole

world growing up, and all I ever knew.

My great-grandparents were born in Mexico, and my grandparents

were first generation Mexican-Americans living in the midwest. Acceptance

and expectations were different then. My grandparents, and therefore my

mother and her five siblings were expected to blend in with the community,

which at that time was mostly working middle-class, and Caucasian. While
De la Rose, the candy I would
both my grandparents speak fluent Spanish, my mother and her siblings do beg my grandma to buy when
we went to the store.
not. Growing up, I heard it often when I was at my grandparent’s house, my
Picture of de la Rosa candy.
grandmother loved Julio Iglesias and was always playing his music. Once in Amazon.com.2018

a while my grandparents would teach me a phrase here and there, my grandmother called some of

my grandfather’s words “Spanish Slang” but, more often than not they would speak in Spanish

when they did not want us to know what they were saying.
MY CULTURAL IDENTITY 4

In my early years, the only ethnicity I knew was Mexican-American. While the atmosphere

of cultural acceptance of Mexican-Americans’ was quite different during my grandparents and

mother’s time, they have always been proud of their Mexican heritage. My grandparents taught

me to work hard, be humble, and to never judge a book by its cover. My grandparents most

certainly experienced racism living as Hispanic Americans in a mostly white community. This is

why they taught their children, and grandchildren that race and ethnicity alone, do not determine

someone’s character.

While I have lived almost half of my

life in Las Vegas, being a midwesterner, more

specifically a Wisconsinite is a substantial

Photograph of Milwaukee Summerfest logo.
part of my cultural identity. The community Lakefront.UWM.edu. 2018. I Summerfest.com.2018

lived in, Bay View, is ten minutes from

downtown and the lakefront. There’s

always something going on, with festivals

galore in the summer. There are many Picture of Miller Park. Tosa
Connection.com. 2017
heritage festivals, e.g., Italian Fest, Polish Photograph of Bay View High School.
Milwaukee Public Schools.
www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us. 2018
Fest, just to name a few. Most of my family, and my only sibling, still

live there. Milwaukee has a history of a gracious and robust
working-class community,and I’m grateful for the time I had
there.
Clockwise from left: Milwaukee’s
Lakefront, the Milwaukee Art Museum is
the large white building with the sails.
Summerfest logo, Summerfest is one of
the Midwest’s largest music festivals.
Miller Park Stadium, baseball was a big
part of my childhood. Bay View High
School; I attended for a short time.
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Milwaukee also has a large Catholic population, which opens up the discussion of religion.

My sister and I attended Catholic school. Most of my cousins attended and graduated from

Parochial schools, and my cousins were altar boys. I didn’t go to confession every week or church

every Sunday, but the Catholic religion was embedded in my life. From my mom and my

grandparents talking about the Pope and politics, to the blessed water in my

grandma’s fridge, and my beloved collection of rosaries. Catholicism will always

be a scared and beautiful religion to me.

Moving to Southern Nevada was a significant change for me, and it

definitely took some time getting used to. All I knew about gambling
Holy Hill, a beautiful spot I visited often
with my grandparents.
was church bingo, and suddenly I was surrounded twenty-four seven by
Photograph of Holy Hill Basilica in
these noisy little machines that people liked to shove quarters into. No Hubertus, Wisconsin taken by Cornel
Rosario. Holy Hill.com.2014
matter where I went, the grocery store, the laundry mat, they were there,

making their incessant funny noises. I never liked gambling, nor was I

comfortable in casinos, not when I was young and not now, it’s just not

my thing.

People in Las Vegas did not seem as friendly
as I was used to in Milwaukee. When I talked to
adults about it, I would hear the word “transient”
Immaculate Conception Church, where I received my first Holy
Communion and attended school.
Photograph of Immaculate Conception Church in Milwaukee, WI.
Roamincatholicchurches.blogspot.com. 2014

and “stranger danger”a lot. However, I did develop my own affection for Las Vegas

over the years, how could I not after spending so much time here. I have always

been in love with the beauty of the desert, growing up I cherished our family visits

to Mt. Charleston, Red Rock, and Lake Mead. Spending time with my own Baptism certificate for my first Holy
Communion.
MY CULTURAL IDENTITY 6

children, and teaching them to appreciate and love the

outdoors has always been important to me. Scandia Fun

Center, Boulevard Mall, and Crystal Palace Skate were

popular places to hang out, and when I got older, the Huntridge

Theater was the place to see bands. Las Vegas is where I call

home now, I was married to the love of my life here, my first

home was here, my children have grown here, it has been the Me and my older sister Amanda on her graduation
day from Valley High School at Thomas & Mack.
setting for pivotal and extensive parts of my life.

There are still so many more aspects of my life that have

molded my cultural identity. I am a proud mother, daughter,

sister, and wife. My husband is Jewish and was born in the

Soviet Union, though his family came to America in 1980.

Learning about my husband, his culture, and his heritage has

A drawing of a photograph of my wedding
been a privilege that I cherish. While it may seem that much of our day by my daughter.

culture is handed to us from family, I think how we perceive and think of it

evolves over time. As we add experiences to our lives and meet new people,

our world’s expand. I cherish my past and how it has shaped my cultural

identity, but I am excited about the future and hope I will never cease the

desire to learn about other people, places, and broaden my knowledge of

different cultures.

Important pictures and mementos hanging up next to

my desk. Both of my daughters, family pic at Zion, and
my daughter’s drawings.