My Personal Culture

My Personal Culture

  • Submitted By: avending
  • Date Submitted: 09/10/2008 9:46 AM
  • Category: Biographies
  • Words: 1645
  • Page: 7
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January 12, 2005

My Personal Culture

Wow! When I got this assignment, I must say, I didn’t know how I was going to sum up

this big puzzle of what I call “my life”, or where I was going to find the pieces to put it together.

I had many questions. I really didn’t know anything about my culture, my heritage, or my

background. Going from phone call to phone call, I found no information. My mother was into

who we were, and where we had come from. I was told that she had begun a family tree so that

everybody would know a piece of who they were. Following her death, nobody took over that

job. That’s when I decided it was time to get on the phone and see if anybody knew about me.

The first few calls revealed nothing. I quickly realized that none of my family knew much

about any of the puzzle pieces that helped fit us together.

In the past, I have wondered about my nationality and family origin. While doing this

project, however, I finally found someone who knew a little more than everybody in my family

had known. On my mother’s side, we have the Paltridge family, and on my father’s side, we have

the Hagerman family. The Paltridge family is composed of French, German, Welch and

English. The Hagerman side is composed Irish, Dutch, German and Polish.

I was born in Portland, Oregon. Growing up, I have always lived in Oregon. I have lived

in quite a few cities. Starting in Portland, I lived in the N. E and S.E area. Then I lived in

Milwaukie, Clackamas, Gresham and Fairview. I have moved many times throughout my life. I

can’t even count on my fingers and toes the amount of times I can remember moving.

My mother grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, where she graduated from a local high school

and started her career as a beautician. My mother is an American lady who knew the “real”

meaning to living everyday to the fullest. She, and my dad, met at a young age. Eventually

they had Jessica and...

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