Personal Cultural Artifacts

My Wedding Rings

My wedding ring and band are extremely important to me. They are a symbol of my love for my husband and how we are faithful to each other. I hardly ever take them off and so they have become a part of me. Many people in my culture have wedding rings to show their devotion and love for their spouse. 

My Cat, Simba

Although, I don't live with him anymore, (because he's at my Dad's house), I go and visit and take care of him frequently. The cats I've had growing up have become a major part of my life that I will always love and I will always be a "cat-person". Many people around me have pets, especially cats or dogs. We have them in our culture to take care of and have as a friend. 

A Delicious Pizza at Brick Oven

Going out to eat and eating really delicious food is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Eating American food, especially like this pizza, is part of my culture. Fast food and restaurants with usually unhealthy types of food are very common in the United States. 

My Scriptures

Every day I read in my scriptures. They are a symbol of my beliefs and values and contain the doctrines and teachings in my religion. Having scriptures and reading scriptures is a part of my religious culture and is even a way how Christians can worship. 

Mississippi Ornament

I served my mission in Mississippi, where I met so many of my favorite kinds of people, nature, food, and culture. It was completely different out there than Utah, where I had always lived before that. But ever since my mission, Mississippi has been a part of my culture and is a place I will always cherish and go back to. Things like the food, lingo, laid-back attitude, and friendly gestures that I got to experience out there have become a part of my life.

Painting of the Payson Utah Temple

This is the temple where I was married. It is, and all temples are, a symbol to me of the eternal truths of the gospel and how families can be together forever. I go there frequently to renew my covenants and live my life to be worthy to go there. Many church members do the same thing, in fact that is what we are often told to do when we need answers to prayers or need a peaceful place or way to serve the Lord. 

Photograph of My Wedding

This is a photograph of me and my husband getting married. This, and many other photographs around my house, remind me of my role as a wife every day. I live a culture of sharing with and serving and loving my husband. Being a wife is the most important thing to my life and what I have always dreamed of becoming. Having family pictures around the house is a part of the culture I live in. Many families do this to show others what is most important to them and want to preserve special memories. 

Ultrasound Pictures of My Baby

I am currently pregnant and am very excited for my baby and for being a mother soon. This is a constant focus and goal for me as I look up information and plan and live healthily to have a baby and become a parent soon. Having children is definitely a part of the culture I live in. People will have doctor visits and ultrasounds to check on the progress of their baby. 

Crocheted Baby Blanket

I'm crocheting a baby blanket right now for my baby. Crafts and sewing are a big part of who I am, and  making things for others is how I like to show my love for people. Making crafts and having hobbies like sewing are a part of the culture I live in. Many people enjoy working on projects like this in their free time. 

Present and Card for My Mom

My mom's birthday is tomorrow and so I got her a gift and card to give to her. Gift giving is a big part of my culture and I love celebrating people's birthdays and celebrating other occasions and holidays. Being with my loved ones and family is a big part of my life, especially since I live so close to where I grew up and live close to many relatives of mine. It is normal in our culture to give gifts and cards to people and wrap them up nice as a way to show appreciation for someone. 

Medicine

As I've been pregnant the last few months, I have gotten sick multiple times in multiple ways and have had to take different kinds of medicine very frequently. It's basically my life now to not feel very good and needing something or other to help with it. Many other people in my culture can relate to this, whether they are pregnant, or whether they are sick and have other health problems. Medicine is a necessity and usually is cheap and easy enough for people in my culture to obtain. 

Alarms on My Phone

My alarms on my phone represent me usually having a busy day, going from place to place, getting different things done. Even when I have spare time, I usually set a mental alarm for myself to only have a little bit of free time before doing something else and getting back to my schedule for the day. We live in such a fast-paced society and so my culture is used to having schedules and time limits like this. 

A To Do List on My Phone

I am definitely a list person. Everything I do or think of is displayed in my mind or on paper or in my phone digitally as a list. That is how I organize my thoughts and how I plan for the future and how I get things done throughout the day. 

Flowers

Nature and being outside, especially in the warm weather, is definitely part of my culture and represents who I am. I love just going for walks, looking at nature, just doing anything outside getting fresh air and warmth. Especially living here by the mountains, many people here with my same culture have a love for the outdoors and doing activities outside. 

DVDs

Watching TV shows and movies are a big part of my leisure life and are something I watch and enjoy every week. Media and TV are so popular in the culture I live, where people know movie stars and know the latest about what's happened or what movies came out. 

My Work Badge

I have a job working in custodial at BYU and so wearing this badge with my ID has become part of my uniform. It represents my job I do every day. Many other jobs require some sort of uniform or involve objects that go along with the job. 

Books from My Classes

Textbooks for my classes represent the school aspect of my culture and especially these ones represent who I want to be, as I am studying Elementary Education and want to teach many things to students as a teacher. Having textbooks and lots of materials for classes is a big part of going to school at college in my culture. 

My Clothes in My Closet

My clothing is part of my culture. I love wearing nice blouses, colorful outfits with prints, and comfy maternity clothes (now that I'm pregnant). Clothing like this is normal for women in my culture to have. 

Fruit Pizza and Normal Pizza

I love baking and cooking and do it now almost every day! I really enjoy making things and expanding my knowledge of cooking, but am also a poor college student and so I try to keep meals relatively cheap. 

Kissing My Husband Goodbye (or to Say Hello)

I don't mean to put PDA in here, but kissing my husband goodbye when either of us leave somewhere, or kissing as a greeting when we see each other again is a tradition of ours. It's a norm in my culture with him as his wife to always greet or say goodbye to each other by kissing and hugging each other. 

Reflection

I have learned that my culture largely revolves around me being a wife and a mother. Those two things have always been the most important goals of my life and now that I am achieving them, I really try hard to center my life around those. Family has always been so important to me and so are my religious beliefs about families and marriage and being together forever. This is very common in my culture and how I identify myself in society. I also have realized that my culture isn't just about the things I wear or eat, or even just the things I like to do. It also has to do with just how my natural every day goes and the things I do with my time and how I organize that time and manage the things in my life. I think my culture can be a help in a school setting. Since I am so focused on family and my roles as a wife and mother, I think I will also be very dedicated as a teacher to children that I care about and want to help learn and grow. I also think that with my mental alarms I set for myself and daily lists of things to do and think about, I can be responsible and plan out what needs to be done for my students in the classroom.