Human Diversity Portfolio

Running head: CULTURAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY 0

Cultural Autobiography of Thao Nguyen

Thao H. Nguyen

Midwestern State University

Abstract

My name is Thao Hai Nguyen, and I am an Asian female who currently resides in Houston, Tx. This may be odd for some, but I grew up being raised a Catholic and Buddhist. You would think it would get confusing but both religions have a lot in common. Both teaching to be kind and love one another regardless of race, age or gender. I have always lived within the United States. As an Asian American I have been given the opportunity to live life with so many options that are only privileges in other countries. I am so fortunate to be able to see many differently views, opinions and cultures through my close friends and co-workers.

Class

My name is Thao Hai Nguyen, and I am the only daughter to my parents, Joseph and Mary Nguyen. My family is a part of the lower class which is the non-dominant subgroup of the socioeconomic status. I have four brothers, two older and two younger brothers. My older two brothers are only two years apart and I am nine years younger from the oldest brother. Then two years later is my next brother after me. The youngest brother out of all of us is eight years younger than me. I get along great with 3 out of my 4 brothers. The second to oldest brother lives in a different household majority of my life so we didn’t really have a relationship growing up. The other three brothers and I have a pretty close relationship with each other, and I can rely on them for anything. I was born in Harrisburg, PA and at the age of two moved to Orange County, CA. For sixteen years that was where I called home. I had my Son at seventeen and moved to Houston, TX which is where I still currently reside. Because I was the only girl in the family I was stuck doing all the household chores growing up, while my brothers would be outside playing. My Mom was stuck working two to three jobs because my Dad was an abusive alcoholic. So my Mom depended on me for a lot of things.

Race

I am an Asian female and to be more specific, Vietnamese. I am a part of a dominant subgroup. I’ve always grown up noticing that I am a different race and nationality. Although, it seemed like it was always pointed out to me, it never really did matter to me though. I was very comfortable in my skin as far as my race and nationality. My Parents made sure that I was never ashamed of my culture. Even though they taught me to never be embarrassed of my race, culture and nationality, they also made sure to teach me to treat everyone equally as I would want them to treat me. Regardless of how I may be treated due to my race, I should never mistreat others. I am 36 years old this year and sadly have encounted discrimination quite a few times.

Ethnicity

I am an Asian American,which is not a dominant subgroup of ethnic origin. My Parents and two older brothers are from Vietnam. Myself and two younger brothers are born and raised here in the United States. Just recently, about two years ago I was very fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit Vietnam for about three weeks. Then did I realize how much I took for granted and what my parents went through to give my siblings and I a better quality of life. It is unfortunate to see how differently I was treated because I was an Asian American. For a couple days, I felt as if I didn’t fit in any race and/or culture. I realized then it didn’t matter where I was for discrimation to happen. It is sad and hurtful to see how we as humans can be so judgemental and can quickly exclude.

Gender

I am a female, heterosexual, and this is considered to be part of a dominant subgroup. I grew up with four brothers but because of my race and culture there was a lot of gender discrimination. In my culture, the female had to do all the cooking and cleaning. I started learning at a very early age. By doing this, it would help me find a Husband. Because no Man would want a wife that couldn’t cook, clean and tend to her Husband. My brothers didn’t really have to do any of the chores. While my brothers were outside playing, I was stuck with the cooking, cleaning, laundry and all the other chores around the house. My brothers also made me tough though. Of course I was always out numbered but they made sure I knew how to protect and defend myself. Growing up, my parents always taught it was a Man’s world. It wasn’t until I got into junior high school did I learn from a friend that we as females should be treated equally. I quickly questioned my older brothers and they agreed. They always told me to be more because this is why our parents came to America. To not be afraid and I could be anything I wanted when I grew up. They also told me to never let a man tell me what I couldn’t do. My brothers alwas said the right man will always treat me with respect and support me. Times were changing and Woman were able to be in the same career and/or position a Man was. My parents were still old fashion and couldn’t understand the equality but they would eventually.

Language

Growing up I’ve always had to learn English and Vietnamese. My parents and older brothers had to learn English. In our household, my parents would not allow us to speak English at all. It was strictly Vietnamese because they did not want us to forget our native tongue. My two younger brothers and I were sent every Sunday for 5 years to learn how to read, write and speak Vietnamese. Younger I despised it so much and could not understand why I had to do it. I remember complaining to my mom about it all the time. She told me I would one day thank her, and it wouldn’t be until I got older would I understand. My Mom was not wrong about that. Being in the medical field I am now able to help Patients translate and feel comfortable. I couldn’t imagine being somewhere and not understand what is going on. Especially when it is in regard to their health. I am very thankful for what my parents did for me. Words cannot explain how great it feels to be able to help patients understand what is going on. Because of this, I am currently learning Spanish. I want to be able to help as many patients as possible. To me, it is one of the greatest feelings.

Religion

I was raised as a Catholic but was also taught Buddhism. I am not considered to be a part of this subgroup. My Dad and his side of the family are Catholics, but my Mom and her side of the family are Buddhist. For my parents to be able to get married my mom had to convert. This did not make my mom’s side of the family happy at all. My brothers and I were all raised as Catholics. We were all baptized but I was the only one that finished my confirmation. It was hard growing up with both religions. We practiced Catholicism up until I was about 16 years old. This was when my parents separated. My mom took all of us to Texas where her siblings were. It was then we had to practice Buddhism. They did not want to hear anything about Catholics. My Dad wasn’t the greatest Dad nor Husband and they correlated that to all Catholics. I’ve tried numerous times to explain that it is solely on that particular person and has nothing to do with religion but my Grandma, My Mom’s Mom does not want to listen. After a while it was easier for me to just stay quiet then to continue to argue. Since then, I just practiced what almost every religion teaches and that is to do no harm to others. I do believe in a God and have faith in Him.

Exceptionality

I am not disabled and am part of the non-disabled group. The non-disable group dominates this category. I am so fortunate to be able to live a life without a disability. I could not imagine how hard and difficult it can be to live with even the slightest disability. I am pretty sure it’s so strenuous mentally, emotionally and physically to live with a disability. No one wants to live with a disability. It’s not something we all are wishing for. I try to do my very best in treating them equally. My biggest flaw with this is feeling sorry for them and because of this I want to treat them differently. Our society today does not make it easy at all as people without a disability much less to have one. We have all somehow become so judgmental and forget that they are just another human being trying to live a normal life just like we are. They should be treated with same respect as everyone else and not treated as if they are handicap. They may have to live life a little differently from others but don’t we all live life a little differently? I believe we are all taking a slightly different path in life that fits us best.

Age

I am currently attending college and I am considered to be a young adult who is deemed to be the dominant subgroup in the category of age. I am in my mid 30’s and have gone through some difficult obstacles in life. These obstacles have only made me stronger and be able to pass these life lessons to my Son. I live a very active lifestyle and enjoy doing many things. According to my family and friends I am a social butterfly. I just believe in making everyone feel comfortable and inclusive. I am very laid-back person but can also be very vocal when need to be. Since the age of 16, I have always been treated differently by many because of my life decision. I am 36 years old with an 18-year-old son. I have to work harder at almost everything to prove that just because of one decision I made when I was younger that I do fit in with everyone else at work. That I as just as reliable, dedicated, dependable and most loyal to the company. To me, age is just a number. This should not define who you are.

Geography

My Parents and two older brothers came to the United States and lived in Harrisburg, PA. This was where I was born. At the age of two, my family moved to Orange County, CA. We lived there for the next 14 years of my life. Once my parents separated that was when my mom, my two younger brothers and myself moved to Houston, Tx. I have lived here since then. For a couple of years, I had thought of moving back to California, but as time passed, I felt it was best to continue to raise my Son here. Now I couldn’t even imaging leaving Texas.

Conclusion

My name is Thao Hai Nguyen, and I am an Asian female who currently resides in Houston, Tx. Even though I’ve had to practice more than one religion, I’ve learned that no matter the race, ethnicity, gender, language, religion, exceptionality and or age I should treat everyone with respect. I need to remember to treat others how I want them to treat me. To always be compassionate and understand because we never know what one may be going through or dealing with. Just because we don’t see what is going on doesn’t mean we know everything. I am born and raised in the United States and very fortunate to be able to live the life that I have had so far.