Examining Differences

I too am obviously Caucasian and, also obviously, from Slovenia. I lived in Ljubljana for most of my life until I moved three and a half years ago. I still live close to Ljubljana, but just far enough that commuting takes a lot of time (I need approximately an hour and a half to get to the faculty). Despite the travel time, I am very happy that I moved because I feel like Ljubljana is filled with people who are always in a rush and never have time to just relax and not stress about everything, as opposed to my new home where more people take the time to smile at strangers, wish them a nice day or have an occasional chat with them.

I have two brothers and I am the middle child, so I am proud to say that I am both the baby sister and the older sister. Being the middle child has also pushed me into sometimes having to play the role of the middle man. Or, well, woman. I think that as a future teacher, feeling comfortable in this role will help me out quite a lot.

I look forward to being a teacher, but I do not want that to be the only thing I ever do. I want to travel, live abroad, get another degree, be a writer, be a skiing teacher and learn how to dive so that I could explore the ocean. And these are just some of the things I wish to do. Will I manage to do them all? Who knows? We will wait and see.

Considering all of this (and much more that cannot all be written here) I identify myself with a lot of subgroups. I am a writer, a traveler, a teacher, a skier, a dog lover, a baby sister, an older sister, a linguist, a book worm, a runner, a skater, a dancer, a translator, a girlfriend, an actress, a singer, a coffee lover, a happy and positive person and so much more. The list could go on for many many pages. But if I were asked to describe myself with one word? I could not do it.

Examining differences

Examining differences

I'm Caucasian and I live in a small village in Slovenia. I have a big family, one older brother and sister who are twins and I also have a twin sister. I am the youngest of them all and I have been treated as such despite only the five minute difference between me and my sister.

There are not many subgroups that I identify myself with. I am a book lover and I enjoy spending my life in the countryside rather than in the city. I have a cat but as soon as I have saved enough money I would love to get a husky. The only subgroup that pretty much defines me is the group of my co-workers who have been a beautiful constant in my life for the past nine years. I might also belong to the group of people who play table football in their free time and enjoy in occasional once a month drive on the passenger seat on a dirt bike.

Examining Difference

We are socially defined by race, class, and gender, among other things.  We use the term "Intersectionality" to describe the complex relationships that make up an individual identity.  They all exist on a continuum, rather than a binary.  For example, religion, family status, body ability, education, and language, all shape who we are.

What group identities do you share?  Try to connect your post to the readings for this week.

I'll start:  I'm obviously Caucasian,  but less obviously from North America (as all of you know).  I blend in easily in Slovenia, because of our common skin color.  In fact, every day people come up to me and start chattering in Slovenian, and when I tell them I only understand a little Slovene now, they invariably reply, "Oh, sorry!  I thought you were Slovenian!"

I have a large extended Irish Catholic family, with five brothers and a sister, and I will always be a little sister, now matter how I age, but by my birth order of #6.  I'll always relate to Christian ideas, even if I don't go to Church, just from my childhood and Catholic schools.

I'm an educator, and this is a big part of how I define my life and my self.  The readings for this week on race and "coolness" inform my work at the Maine State Prison, where many of my students are African American, or Hispanic.  Their marginality is part of why they are in prison.

Subgroups that I identity with, and inform my person-hood are many.  As a poet, I belong to a group of poets in Maine, and we work closely with songwriters and other artists.  As a dressage rider, I identify with the world of horses and trainers interested in classical dressage.  And as a  dog owner, I am definitely a "dog person."

How about you?

  

My memorable moment

The generation's most memorable moment in my opinion was the war for the Slovenian independence from the former Yugoslav Republic. It happened in 1991. I was born in August and my mother always tells me the story that she was very affraid of what might happen if the war broke out when I was supposed to be born. Then everything went OK and I was born in a hospital and war did not happen. 

My most memorable moment was when my nephew was born. Her name is Neža and the day she was born was the happiest day of my life. I have always wanted to become an aunt and Neža was the first born child. I was so happy when I was told that she was born and I will always remember the day that I first saw her in her little cradle sleeping tight. And I remember when I first saw her smile while she was sleeping. These moments really count in my life. 

Then another gift was brought to my life. This is Neža's younger brother Aljaž. Their birth changed my life. In the most difficult moments of my life I know where to find the light and hope. It is them. 

Capturing Memorable Moments

What are your generation's memorable moments?

I would say the date known at 9/11 is a memorable one for me, mostly because it changed the emotional landscape of the United States.  I was living in northern New York at the time, at my first job at a small college, after receiving my doctoral degree.  My family was a six hour drive away, and my brother John was flying from Boston to Florida on business.  His plane was missing for twelve hours, and we were out of contact with him until the next day, when we heard it had been rerouted to Colorado.

That made me want to return to New England, and be closer to my large, extended family.

Another memorable moment was the election of President Barack Obama.  I was working on his campaign in Maine.   As the first African American president, also smart, charismatic, fairly young, and dedicated to many of my ideals, it seems a promising time for a new America.  Well, change takes time....

What about your memorable moments?  Either as a generation, or personally?
(Here is a photo of the first Christmas after I had returned to Maine - closer to my large family).