Exploring Cultural Identity: A Personal Reflection Journal Entry

This journal entry reflects on the author's experiences as a student from Kuwait studying in San Francisco, highlighting the challenges of navigating cultural differences and maintaining a sense of identity. The author draws parallels between their own experiences and those described in an article by Lylah Alphonse, particularly regarding the complexities of multiethnic backgrounds and the assumptions people make based on appearance. The reflection touches upon the importance of embracing one's roots while adapting to new cultures, and the author finds inspiration in Alphonse's approach to defining herself beyond racial or ethnic labels. The entry concludes with a contemplation of personal identity and a potential strategy for responding to questions about one's background in the future.

Running head: JOURNAL ENTRY
Journal Entry
Name of the University
Name of the Student
Author note

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JOURNAL ENTRY
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
I come from Kuwait and am here in San Francisco, U.S. for pursuing my education.
Belonging to an orthodox Muslim family, I had a hard time getting along with people here.
That day, while I was going through one of the articles authored by Lylah Alphonse, I
could visualize the author’s life and relate clearly to my own situation. She had a multiethnic
background where her father was a Haitian and mother, a Persian Indian.
She describes how her multiethnic background used to raise curiosity of the people in her
institution and how difficult she used to find it to fill in forms where the options for race were
limited. This can be seen from the part where she states, “On census forms, aptitude tests, and
applications, whenever possible I check the box for ‘other’ after the question about race”. Later,
in the article, she describes how the campus police officer was amazed to see her speak English
so well. “I didn’t understand why, when I was reporting a stalker, the campus police officer told
me that I spoke English very well”. When I read this, I could relate to her situation so well
because I too have faced similar, if not the same situations. Being a Muslim, I have to wear a
hijab as it is a part of my religion but this too often becomes a topic of discussion amongst other
students.
However, I may add that some parts in the article were there that I found quite confusing.
To cite an example, the author described her mother to be a Persian Indian, which went over my
head. The author did not even elaborate on her mother’s complete background. However, having
said that, I found the article very relevant to my present situation. In one section of the article,
the author questions the term “interracial” for addressing mixed marriages. She argues that
people must be defined by the culture in which they are raised more than their race. Here, I

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JOURNAL ENTRY
strongly agree with the author and personally, I too believe that people must hold strong to their
roots, their ethnicity while embracing other cultures.
I liked the end section of the article where the author describes how she replies to people
who ask her about her background. “I was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. My mother
is from India. My father is from Haiti. As for what I consider myself…I’m just me”. This part
really struck me and I am kind of inspired by it and might even use it if people ask me such
questions in future.