My CULTURE - Bryanna Miller by Bryanna M

First Generation Canadian

bryannam754_ — 2024-10-18 14:30:57 UTC

I was born outside of Canada and immigrated here at the age of 6. I love and appreciate the diverse culture I grew up surrounded by in Canada. This country has such a rich cultural history that originated with the indigenous people, and learning about the history of Canada throughout my years has been a privilege. I believe the diversity represented by Canada and the experience of all these different cultures has made me a more well-rounded individual.

Where did I come from?

bryannam754_ — 2024-10-18 14:59:28 UTC

I was born in Scottland and lived there with my grandparents, parents, and brother for 6 years. My father is from England, and my mother is from Scotland so their culture rubbed off on me significantly. All of my extended family still lives there and when I go to see them I look forward to experiencing all the beautiful historical representations of culture such as Stonehenge, Edinburgh Castle, Glasgow Cathedral, and even the old-fashioned thatched roofs. To me, all of these classical representations of architecture are visual demonstrations of the history that surrounds my culture.

Celtic Ring Design

bryannam754_ — 2024-10-18 15:42:49 UTC

During my last visit to the UK to visit my family I found this ring in a vintage shop and it reminded me of my mother and father because their wedding bands have a similar design. Therefore, this is a material representation of not only my mother's nationality, but also the values and beliefs we hold within our family unit inspired by that rich Scottish culture. Such as loyalty, pride, and importance of intellect.

Roast/Sunday Dinner

bryannam754_ — 2024-10-18 16:02:43 UTC

The ongoing joke of British and Scottish food being absolutely disgusting does always make me laugh, but I could not disagree more. The Sunday dinners consist of haggis, roast beef, peas, mashed carrots, baked carrots, mashed potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, gravy, stuffing, baked mini potatoes, black pudding white (oats and animal fat), pudding (animal blood, animal fat, and oats), skirlie, and for dessert custard. These dinners bring me a sense of blissful nostalgia. They used to happen every week, but now they are few and far between but they never won't put a smile on my face. Even the more wildly despised British and Scottish delicacies such as marmite, and cheese and onion pastes make me feel connected to the culture. A culture that was derived from years of strictly surviving and making do with nothing.

Amazing Grace Preformed on the Bagpipes

bryannam754_ — 2024-10-18 16:23:20 UTC

This performance of Amazing Grace is being performed by a Bagpipe master. The bagpipes are one of the most complex instruments, they are difficult and require so much skill and determination. The amount of commitment that is required highlights to me the non-material aspects of Scottish culture which boil down to the undying resilience that we hold close to our hearts.

Norms

bryannam754_ — 2024-10-18 16:34:13 UTC

The Scottish people are rather brutish in a sense. They can be very aloof and abrupt in their approach to emotional vulnerability. However, the humour of both Scottish and British people shines like a diamond in their rough personalities. In Canada for example the norm is to not talk to strangers and to not be overly persistent if someone does not want to talk, but in Scotland and England, there is a stark difference. The norm is to make jokes and conversations that could be aversive to people who don't experience that every day.