“The only journey is the only journey is the one within.” (Rainer Maria Rilke). We all experience a different journey based on where we come from, shaped by our experiences and the people we experience it with. But there are similarities in all of our journeys; we all experience challenges that we overcome in one way or another, and we know not what the future holds for us. Each step we take, every obstacle we conquer, and every person we meet leaves an imprint on our path, as we wander into the great unknown. And as we wander, we discover things about ourselves that we may have never noticed, and these discoveries help guide us into the unknown. I have gone through my own journey, and I would like to share with you what I have discovered about myself in my time here.

I was born in Kirkland Washington. For the first years of my life, I lived I Silverlake WA, in a small cul-de-sac and I knew our neighbors well would hang out with them all the time. My mom and dad had good jobs and we were a very stable household. My dad worked very hard to be where he was as he was a Mexican immigrant, he would work most of the day and come back in the evening and sometimes at night he was a painting contractor, I would try to spend as much time as I could with him. My mom worked as a counselor for workplace injuries and getting them back to work or into school. I had only one sibling at the time but all in all life was good. I would spend time with both sides of my family and even meet the extended family I had in Mexico. “Socialization refers to the process by which individuals learn and internalize the values, norms, and culture that exist in society.” (Faizah). Eventually I was enrolled in school, we ended up going to a school far from home, that school being arrowhead elementary. After a year or so I would come to realize that I disliked school as I had poor reading and writing skills due to Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, this would be something that I would have to deal with through the rest of my time in school. Though I disliked the academic side of school I ended up be a very social child and loved to talk and meet new people, I had friends that had the same interests as me though most of those friends have moved on in their lives, but it was nice while it lasted. I would eventually find some hobbies that I still participate in today, them being playing video games and working with computers, but I would also get into card collecting for Magic the gathering. Later in elementary school we would end up moving out of the cul-de-sac and moving to Kenmore WA right next to the school I was attending.

Some information about myself, I am a Mexican American heterosexual male born in America from the middle class currently studying mechanical design, I live with my mom and sister, and I have a relatively average physicality. When it comes to my social standing in society, I would say that I am probably on the higher end of that scale as I was born here, I have a stable job, and English is my native language which gives me an edge over those who may not be from this country or have good English skills. One of the things that I have struggled with was my Dyslexia and Dysgraphia which impaired my writing and reading skills, school was more of a struggle than for others and these skills would not improve until after high school though I still struggle with both. “People are commonly defined as other on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and physical or mental ability.” (Tatum 2000). I would eventually graduate and go into the work force for a few years before I decided that I wanted to go back to school even though I was still worried about my disabilities getting in the way. After some time in college my perspective changed on how I see myself, I have less self-doubt about my own reading and writing skills and I have more confidence in my other skills that make up for my disabilities. One of the other things that I have learned over the years through friends and family is that people tend to judge others who have traits that may be different to theirs i.e. Sexuality, race, Gender, etc. but when it comes to how I see these people I have no judgement, for me your actions speak louder than social background.

I have only seen a fraction of what this life has to offer, but I will continue wandering on my own path through the unknown. Those words may have made me anxious before, but now I have a more positive look on life. I am excited to proceed on the path before me, to discover more of the unknown, and to travel it with those I call friends and the memories of those who are no longer with us. And for those how read this I encourage you to find your path through the unknown to truly find yourself.

References

Shoviana Nur Faizah. The role of the family in forming children’s social identity family sociological perspective.  UTS THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY IN FORMING CHILDREN’S SOCIAL IDENTITY FAMILY SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE.pdf

Tatum, B. D. (2000). The complexity of identity: “Who am I?”