Multiculturalism

Just for Fun: What cultures have had the biggest impact on you?
(when I answer this, really I'm thinking about people in my life who have made some impact on me in one way or another)

* French Canadian - enriched by my own family's culture (which I didn't realize really still affected us until I left home - we're not just "American" ). I can't help but think of things like my Memere's meat pies at Christmas and Matante's sporadic use of French (words like "toque," "quette," "oh mon Dieu!"), not to mention values like faith and family - and keeping the peace, maintaining a sense of calm at all costs (a value which was pointed out by my Quebec-born pastoral care professor).

* German - Having lived in Austria and traveled to Germany, and having friends from Germany I've grown to appreciate this under-represented part of my own heritage. What I appreciate most about German people is their wit and their bluntness, their reasonableness and common sense.

* Italians - What's not to love about Italians? Anyone who knows me knows that I have a soft spot for them in my heart. Just look at how many saints have come from this country: Pier Giorgio Frassati, Don Bosco, Francis of Assisi, Clare of Assisi, Ambrose of Milan... the list goes on an on...

* Filippino - Having a close friend in High School who was Filippino and having had numerous Filippino friends in college and beyond, I've come to appreciate their deep devotion, their sense of hospitality - and their cuisine!

* Ukrainians. From my Ukrainian roommate in Austria to my friends here at St. Michael's Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church here in Indiana, I've come to appreciate the arts of this culture - from Psyanka to Iconography, to choral music within the liturgy and decorative embroidery - just beautiful! Not to mention the courage and faith of a people who has suffered much in the last 100 years.

Mexicans. Mi casa es su casa. Food, Faith, Family... Fiesta! As the Church in the United States becomes more and more Hispanic, I am contemplating how important it is for me to learn about and embrace the Latino/a Church. I'm blessed to have several friends who are members of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, a religious community which was founded in Mexico city and whose founder was a married woman, mother of nine, and a mystic. Her writings are beautiful - and have helped me spiritually during the last year or so.

Nigerians. Over the years I've met a number of people from Nigeria or who have Nigerian roots. I can't say that I know a whole lot about Nigeria or Nigerian culture, but the individuals I have met have left an impression on me, in one way or another. After a solo-trip to Turin during which I spent an overnight train ride in the same compartment with a Tunisian, two drunk Polish men, and a Nigerian, I am convinced that the Nigerian man was my guardian angel in disguise.

Without listing reasons for the rest, here are others I'd put on my list:

Polish
Cuban
Puerto Rican
Bosnian
Korean
Iranian

What are yours?