Childhood Memories Chicago

I was born in Charlotte but when I was two my parents decided to move to Chicago, one of the most popular places in the US. During my childhood, all I knew was that my parents were busy looking for money to buy me candies. As a result, I spent much of time in the hands of a house girl whom my mother had hired three months after I was born. My mother always reminds me of how I was a crying baby hence causing her trouble at night. I happen to be the first born in a family of six members, have got one pretty sister and two cute brothers. My parents were so busy during the weekdays hence lacked sufficient time to spend with me. As a result, they developed the habit of taking me out every weekend. This was frequent before my siblings were born but when they appeared into the picture, things started changing slowly. In fact, apart from ensuring to take a bath every day, I had added responsibilities of making sure that my siblings were comfortable at home and with the games we played when my parents were out. Being the first born taught me to establish a healthy relationship with my siblings and this has contributed a lot to the friendship that exists between me and them. My parents always taught me to do good to people as doing wrong would ruin my reputation and hence will not be respected. I have grown knowing that a good reputation would not only bring me success but also would make those I love happy.

Direct influence

Elementally school

When I was four, my parents took me to the nearest private elementary school which was the same school my mother taught. We drove to school along with mom and as a result, we happened to interact with her more than dad. However, I discovered that she was watching me very closely and therefore was very hard for me to do something bad in school. I realized that I needed more space to do the weird things my friends talked about. According to me, what my friends talked of seemed interesting and pleasing. It was a requirement for every child in that school to dress in full school uniform which I did not like. Basing on my school records which are still in the home library to date, I think I was a smart kid. However, a particular girl often beat me in the overall grade as I was slightly poor in arithmetic while we equaled in other subjects. Through the support of my mother who helped me tackle the difficult problems, my performance in arithmetic improved. I owe my mother the achievement I made at elementary school. Father too was very supportive as he was concerned about my studies and offered help whenever mom was busy. I was active in school activities as I was a member of boys and girl club. Though I had many friends at elementary school, initially, I did not understand the meaning of friendship and hence were important only when we played. However, the meaning began to show up as I matured and I learned that a good friend was the one that supported me in any way.

High School

After graduating from elementary school I joined high school where I studied for four years. My parents felt that going in high school would allow me operate in different types of entry-level positions. I also felt that a high school diploma would bring a huge difference in my life. With the diploma, I was sure of a better career opportunity and higher earning potential. Moreover, I had in mind that high school diploma is basically regarded as more desirable for an individual in entering the workforce or wishing to pursue a higher education (Littlefield, 2010). Again my parents were very supportive throughout my high school and never failed to attend the PTA meetings. My teachers too were very supportive but could punish me whenever I made mistakes. I was an active member of the scouts club, drama club, and key club but I little enjoyed the debate club.

Peer group influence

At a high school, I valued friends so much as we shared important things concerning the changes we experienced in our bodies as it was the adolescent stage. We spent our free time together especially during the weekends and performed many of the activities together. We would occasionally go for mountain climbing and ice skating during the holidays but at times we went to watch movies at the movie theaters. My parents could always provide money whenever I asked for it and I think this spoilt me. I developed a weird attitude of viewing myself as the best and honored person in our community. I began to understand that not everybody would agree with what I said or done. I learned that conflicts are part of our lives and in most cases inevitable. At one time we had disagreements with my friends concerning the best car one can own. I handled the conflict inappropriately when I reacted aggressively and loudly to one of my friends who opposed me. It took many months to build back the friendship we had together since that incidence. I learned that my friends, siblings, and parents had different opinions and had to respect their view in different matters.

Media

When I was small I liked watching cartoons on the TV and spent part of my free time playing computer games but as I grew up my interest changed. When I was a kid my favorite book was the Hobbit by Tolkien. Today my favorite books are Dirt Music by TimWinton and the Magician by Raymond Feist among others. Immediately after high school, my parents bought me a Cell phone as I had to lead a private life where I could go places without supervision. I enjoy listening to Pop and Rock music although sometimes I listen to gospel crisps for spiritual nourishment.

Neighborhood

Since we live near a busy street in Chicago, it's quite noisy but we are used to it. Because we have lived there for long, my family has established a healthy relationship with the neighbors who happen to be close friends. However, a certain neighbor hates me because I was rude to him last summer. Whenever, I came home from school, untie Betty always took care of me. I was a Latchkey kid but I did not feel bad because my parents would bring me something good in the evening.

Religious Affiliation

My parents taught me the importance of attending church services every Sunday. Though I attended the church services in my childhood, I was passive in participating in church activities. However, at my youthful age I formed a serious relationship with God and since I am talented singer, I often make my presentations in a church. Religion is very important in my life as it plays a critical role of enhancing my moral values (Gordon, 2005).

Deviant Behavior

When I was in high school, there is a particular teacher that I did not like simply because I dislike the subject he was teaching. Most of the time I would hide in the washroom as the class progressed but one day I was caught. I was made to clean the washrooms for two weeks for going against the school rules and made to declare before my mother that I would not repeat the mistake. Again, my best friend once introduced me to drugs and hence developed a habit of taking them secretly. One day my father's friend caught me smoking, told my parents and was really mad at me. When the neighbors heard about it some accused me of sleeping around and the experience was really tough. My parents promised to take me to a rehabilitation center if I did not change my weekend behavior. Since then my parents and teachers watched me very closely and I did not like it. As time went by, I stopped the habit because I realized that I was harming myself.

Intimate relationship

I began dating at the age of fourteen and my dating experience has not been that good. I have been heart broken three times but currently am trying out again. I have learned to take things easy and therefore am not ready to settle down until I establish a perfect relationship with my partner. To me, divorce is the best option if a partner is caught cheating since infidelity should not be part of marriage.

Indirect influence

Parents

My father is still a mechanical engineer while my mother is a school teacher as stated earlier. Both have acquired degrees in their specific specialization and are my role models. The most surprising thing is that everyone in the family likes politics. Though my parents have never campaigned for a particular candidate, they participate actively in the general election and have always been conservative. I am lucky that I was born in a stable family where my parents lived together since my childhood. We rarely took vacations when I was a child but my parents ensured to take us out especially on weekends and holidays to places like the museums.

Stereotyping

I have received many sorts of stereotyping but the most hurting one happened during my adolescence. Some members of my class were discussing something when I suddenly appeared to join them. Since I am a Christian and them Muslims, one of them commanded me to leave the site as whatever they were discussing was meant for Muslims. I felt rejected and humiliated. As if this was not enough, none of them would allow sharing their things with me or even belief that is better than them in academics. Though this has happened to me, I avoid doing the same to anyone because I have learned that we do not have to conform to the same norms in our lives and hence important to respect the differences that exist among us.

Family events

When I was five, we planned to take a trip to visit my grandmother who by then lived in Charlotte. Unfortunately, we were involved in a car accident and even though it was not serious, my sister was seriously affected and had to spend two weeks in the hospital. As a result, I developed fear towards cars but my attitude changed as I grew up. The most outstanding family event took place when I was thirteen when my parents decided to renew their marriage with a church wedding. Though they had lived together for fifteen years, the colorful ceremony renewed their love and became young couples again. I really enjoyed the ceremony and hope one day I will walk down the isle with my lover.

Global influences

Culture

My ethnic heritage is English on Dad's side Korean on Mother's side. My family always honored and still honors traditional customs. Examples of these customs include Christmas season, food customs and the Cambodian Water Festival. We also appreciate other ceremonies like the wedding ceremony and birthday ceremony among others. Since my father is English and my mother Korean, my siblings and I have not managed to learn both languages and therefore we use English in conversing. My parents are not the first generation in the United States but since they were born there, they have come to like the country a lot. We have been living in the US as long as I can remember but we frequently visit some of my aunties in Korea.

Population and social class

We live in an urban setting and the influence I experience from this place is that I interact with so many people hence learning new things fast. I have a lot of friends in the neighborhood and therefore would not consider moving since I want to maintain my healthy relationship with my mates. My family belongs to the lower middle class and I like it since most of my friends happen to be in the same category. However, when I become completely independent of my parents, I would like to have a higher social class than my parents. Probably, I will strive to belong to the upper middle class. Since I like shopping fancy clothes, they happen to be my status symbol as I must go hand in hand with the latest fashion. I also value my car a lot.

Current events

The most devastating events that really affected me were the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The first happened during President Bush reign while the second just happened when Obama took over. However, concerning the Hurricane Katrina, Bush gave a passive response even after being warned that the Hurricane was putting more people at risk. The worst thing is that Bush gave the worst speech he had ever given before during that time the nation needed words of wisdom and consolation. Now that Obama is in power, I believe He can handle issues in the right way.

Conclusion

Am involved in various social networking such as MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook where I learn a lot of new things and meet new friends. I spend almost two hours a day socializing with friends in the social networking sites. The most popular star of 1995 which I like to date was Martin Page and Edwyn Collins.