European Heritage

      This class has really made me start to think about my own culture and how little I truly know about my German heritage. We've read about how the different groups of Asian American immigrants tried to keep their cultures alive by teaching their children their language and cultural traditions and customs. However, I feel as though many European Americans don't even know where their ancestors came from or, if they do, they don't know the language or customs of their people. Looking at my own life I began to realize how little I know about my own heritage. I know that my ancestors were from Germany and while my grandparents speak German, my parents do not and neither do my brother or myself. My family has passed down some traditional German foods but other than that, the German traditions seems to have died out through the generations.

       I also feel that if European Americans were more aware of their ancestry, they would be more accepting of other immigrants. They would have their own form of double conscious and would be more receptive to the idea of different cultures and would be more welcoming to all immigrants, even those from a "different shore".