There is no way I could
have ever been prepared to answer anything about leaving my home and going to
an unfamiliar place to live permanently. The thought of this happening is slightly
uncomfortable. I do not know what I will take; I do not know where to begin. If
I was the victim of a catastrophic event and my immediate family and I were
blessed to survive, I have everything I need to go to a foreign place. Family to
me is the most important thing in the world; with them, I have the support
needed to function in life. If I had to choose three things to take with me on
this journey, I would take a Bible, one necklace with two pendants (the Star of
David and the Claude pendant), and a notebook. At first, I thought about taking
a photo album; since my immediate family is going with me, I do not need a
photo album. I chose to take the Bible with me because, I could not think of a
greater book to have on a long journey. I chose the necklace with the two
pendants because; both of them are special to me. The Star of David belonged to
my mother; she bought it from New York, and she was wearing it when she died.
The Claude pendant was given to me from someone I love dearly; he told me how
it represented love, loyalty, and friendship; all of those things are very
important to my survival. The final thing I would take is a notebook; I need it
to write down my thoughts and any songs I will think of along the way.
The only way to explain
to others what these items mean to me is to tell them straight forward. The
Bible represents my family’s history from the past, present, and future. The
necklace and pendants represents the love and connection I have among my family
and friends. The notebook represents me, once empty, but continuously filled as
time goes on. All of these items represent my safety and support.
My
thoughts and reaction after I was told to give up two items:
“I arrived at this foreign
place, now I am told that I must give up two of my items. I am feeling upset,
sad, and confused. I feel so betrayed; why are they asking me to give up anything,
do they not realize I have lost most of the things in life I love. These are
the only items I have to sustain me emotionally. I am glad I have my family
here with me because if I did not, I am not sure what I would do right now.
Maybe I will sneak in the necklace and pendants, and hold the notebook in my
hand. Maybe I can relinquish the Bible, because my dad is here, he is a Rabbi
and he knows the Bible backwards and forward. Oh well let me see what is going
to happen.”
This was a critical
thinking exercise; I did not know where to begin when I started this
assignment. Although I chose three items, those were the only ones I could think
of at that moment. All of these items represent who I am and what I want to
become. I have gained new insight from this activity because, it has helped me
to see who I am right now; it helps me to see how important family is to me and
how our culture is important to us as a family. As I think about all of the
other people who were displaced in this event, maybe all of the things we chose
to bring would show how diverse we are in our culture. Although we are all
different, all of us would have shown similar emotions if we were taken to an
unfamiliar place. Collectively, our diverse cultures allow others to see how we
live, worship, and parent.
Lah-Lah
