Cultural Identity: A Self Exploration

The place where I was born can create and make a big part of my identity. According to the Intercultural Competence book, “Social identity develops as a consequence of memberships in particular groups within one’s culture” (p.131). Ethnic identity is an important part of understanding who I am, where I come from, and how I view myself. By looking into the past, I can find about myself; therefore, where my identity has come from. The identity of a group or a culture is formed of norms and traditions of the culture. Each culture has a distinct identity, which makes them different from each other. By understanding other culture's identity, it can decrease cultural shocks. My cultural identity has been determined by my language, tradition, and

I lived there for twenty-eight years. I grew up in a family where the people surround me speak Farsi. My native language is Farsi and in fact, it is the official language of Iran. There are numbers of other national and ethnic groups living in various parts of Iran. The most important of these groups with specific histories, cultures, customs, religions, and languages are the Turkish, the Kurdish, the Baluch, the Arabic, the Turkman, and the Lories. Farsi is the only language that my family, and their last generation, and I was able to use to communicate with each other. In addition, the most famous poets, literati, and writers in Iran have written their poems and books in Farsi. I remember when I was thirteen years old, my grandfather used to read Persian poems for me. He believed this kind of activity was another way to transfer his identity to new generations, and he really wanted to encourage me to save and take care of our cultural heritage. “Thus, as Shalom Schwartz suggests, values serve as guiding principles in people’s lives” (p.81). So I decided to continue his way as a Persian who loves to know what has made our cultural characteristics. This is part of my identity what demands me to think about an even more important subject which is intercultural communication. I really enjoy reading poems and books in my native language which reminds me of my grandfather’s lessons and advice that have formed my