I live in a single-minded town full of cookie cutter people. We are all formed from the same mold. We have the same ideas, the same attitudes, and the same morals. Needless to say, I am in lack of many cultural experiences. I live in a secluded community that rarely gets a peak into other cultures. However, I have recently discovered that living with only a certain breed of people does not mean that I have been living without a cultural influence. Culture is all around me, regardless of the cookie cutter environment that I live in.

Culture is the way of life for a group of people that is passed down through generations. A culture does not need to be exotic or widely accepted to be considered a culture or to be considered important. A culture is significant to those who celebrate it; it is their livelihood and they would not be who they are without it. In my tiny uniform town, I read and dream about experiencing something exotic, a fresh culture. These daydreams and wishes have, up until now, prevented me from seeing the beauty of my own culture. Though it is neither exciting nor exotic, it is important to me and is an essential part, no matter how small, of world culture.

There are many types of cultures. Many places have their own cultures, such as countries, and even towns. For years, I have been part of multiple cultures without even knowing it. I share a culture with two countries: my ancestor’s homeland of Germany and my homeland of America. My town has its own type of culture as well. I am an active part in all of these and have been without even realizing it.

Every year, my town celebrates its German heritage by hosting an Oktoberfest, a festival originally held to celebrate a royal marriage in Munich, Germany that is now held for friends to gather together and to celebrate Germany by, true to its culture, drinking beer. The Oktoberfest is the prime time for learning about the German culture that I am a part of. The Oktoberfest is centered on celebrating our heritage together. Old alumni come back into town, old friends come to visit, and everyone simply enjoys their time together. This homecoming that has always been a part of my life, something that I never questioned or reasoned, is in fact is a remnant of our German culture. The Germans place a large importance on family and friends. They also place a large importance on church. This part of their culture is evident in our heritage celebrations because despite the friends and the alcohol, we all still find time for mass.

I also unknowingly take part in the American culture. Something so normal to me and everyone around me, that I have never considered it unique or its own culture, yet to other countries, it is exactly that, unique and exotic. I have never fully appreciated my own exceptional culture. It is what I live every day, what I have been taught and what I will teach my children, the American mindset. Sure, I will teach them the beauty of the Oktoberfest, but I want them to grow up with the American determination.  I will teach them to appreciate America’s uncommon way of thinking, which says that you can do anything, you can be anything, and you are the only one that can hold yourself back. Nowadays, very few Americans appreciate what they have. Our culture is taken for granted, and the American dream is a nameless greedy hope for more, more money, more friends, and more fun. I used to be one of those, but I have now realized its value and can finally begin to appreciate how lucky I am.

Finally, even my tiny town, village in fact, has a culture of sorts. We are a hardworking, helpful breed of people. We are raised with please’s and thank you’s, door holding, and waiting for people to get into their house before driving away. We were taught to wave on the children waiting to cross the street and wave at all of the policemen that we see. We were raised with modesty, both in our dress and our actions. We are the type to quietly put our head down and do the work, then refuse the credit when it is rewarded. It was everyone, it was our coach, it was God, it was never only me. We are a religious community, so much so that our public school has been nicknamed a Catholic one. I have finally noticed these differences as I have traveled with our various sports teams all over the state. There is no community like us, there is a stark contrast between my community and others, and I am grateful to be on the side that I am.

Culture has always been a foreign word to me. Perhaps this is because my culture is not foreign, but in reality, whose is? No one’s culture is foreign to them, it is their home, their lifestyle. I have always dreamed of experiencing an exotic and fresh culture, but who is to say that I am not living the dream? My life is the way that it is because of the various cultures that I celebrate, but it has taken me up to this moment to realize it and appreciate its individuality. What is a culture? Is it a distant way of life read only in the books? Is it found only in far off countries that I could only ever dream of visiting? It is my way of life, and I live it every day. It is common yet unique. It is me.