My Greek Culture: The Definition Of Culture

There are many different definitions of culture. “In 1952, Alfred L. Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn published a list of 164 definitions of the term. More recently, John R. Baldwin and his colleagues have listed over three hundred meanings for culture, and other scholars have offered additional definitions and approaches” (Lustig & Koester, 25). When I was in second grade I had to do a culture project where I created a poster of my ethnic background. My poster when presented was mostly green and covered with leprechauns, pots of gold, and the prideful orange, green, and white Irish flag. Talking with my parents I learned that although I’m a mix of european cultures the most prominent in my bloodline is Irish, and the next is German. Although

Although I’m not Greek by blood, as I get older I realize my Greek family was a big part of my childhood and definitely a part of who I am today. I always loved my dad 's side of the family. Reunions were fun because I would meet new family, eat my heart out, and get invited to Greek festivals. During Greek festivals a lamb is roasted over a fire, and all the kids would run around carrying the eyeballs of the lamb. As gross as it sounds, it was always so much fun to show off the gooey eye to all the festivals participants. After we all engaged in eating delicious food, we would shop at all the booths to buy jewelry, mostly evil eye jewelry. This was the norm for my family when we immersed ourselves in our culture. A social practice for when we celebrated with other Greeks. “Social practices are the predictable behavior patterns that members of a culture typically follow” (Lustig & Koester,

Around 13 I started getting involved in my church which was a completely different environment than what I was used too. Being a middle schooler, I was learning it was okay to curse and break a few rules. Middle school was a taste of freedom and adulthood. Going to church put a halt on my rebelliousness. Finding a place to go where everyone seemed to perfect gave me a new way to live life. Walking into a church is almost like wearing a mask for a few hours and then taking it off. Although the masks may just be a variation of your face some aren 't. When you go to church you wear your Sunday best, you put on a smile, and you get your loving attitude ready to go. I loved every second of it, although I wondered why anyone would hate the idea of the love and support a church can offer. The first years I volunteered and went I was all in. Learning how to communicate, using bible verses, love, and a friendly smile seemed to make everyone around me happy and I fit in great. “Intercultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual, process in which people from different cultures create shared meanings” (Lustig & Koester, 43). Church was a great example of intercultural communication. People from all different backgrounds come together for one reason. I’ve met people who love to build homes because they once were homeless, people who