My (Ideal) Culture

Essay Writing Competition 2024
Category: 12-15 years
- Runner-up -

"My (Ideal) Culture" written by Anh Khoa Ngo was chosen as runner-up in the Senior category 12 - 15 years.

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2024.

My (Ideal) Culture

According to the dictionary Larousse, "culture" means "a belief in religion of an ethnic group or a nation". This definition is a big problem for me because I don’t really know what my religion is.

My parents are both Vietnamese but my mother is Catholic and my father is Buddhist. If we talk about "ethnic group" then I am Vietnamese. If we talk about "nation", then I am French because I was born in France and live here.

What is then my "cultural identity"? I think I am more Asian than European, more Vietnamese than French because my whole family is Asian except my uncle who is French and I have the features of an Asian.

In terms of food, I prefer Asian culinary specialties for example, rice and food cooked with Asian sauces. However, I can’t speak Vietnamese because I have limited vocabulary, even though my parents and my grandparents speak to me in Vietnamese.

I am born European, I have grown up in France, go to a Catholic school and I speak French almost all the time. And I have never been to Vietnam. To go further into the meaning of culture as linked to religion, because I feel "Asian", and thanks to my father, I believe in Buddha.

In my spiritual practices at the Chinese new year, I must pray to Buddha, say thanks for the year that has passed and pray for the deceased in my family. However, because of my mother, I am also a person who believes in Jesus Christ. In my spiritual practices, I also celebrate Christmas by decorating my house. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. My grandmother celebrates Christmas by going to church and praying with other Christians. On the day of Easter, the legend says that a rabbit hides some eggs in the garden for us children to find and we believed that too.

As you can see, the traditional practices of my family coming from religious beliefs are celebrations that are both Catholic and Buddhist because I believe in both. For example, I try to follow the ten Commandments of the Catholic religion and the eight Commandments of Buddha. Actually, I don’t see a problem with that because they all teach us to be good.

In fact, my ideal cultural identity today would be a peaceful community, where everyone respects one another. More than religions, I will believe in a community that has a culture that does not judge appearances, for example the color of the skin, or the features of a face. I want that the practices of this community to have a common cultural spirit regardless of European, Asian or African origins. There is no matter to be French or Vietnamese, Buddhist or Catholic, because we are all humans.

To quote Albert Einstein, a German physicist: "It is the duty of every man to give back to the world at least as much as he has received".

In the modern world we live today, technology can help us better understand each other. I hope we can all cultivate an international identity, a universal culture where people from all different races (men, women, different countries, rich or poor) will work hard together to help each other get good physical and mental health.

It will be a community where good relations is the goal, like if someone can’t do something, the people around him will be happy to help him to succeed. I am sure I am not alone in this perspective.

In the Age category 12-15 years, Anh Khoa's insightful essay was chosen as runner-up in the Senior category.

Congratulations on your amazing work, Anh Khoa! What an accomplishment! Thank you so much for sharing your personal story and your dream of your ideal culture with us! We completely agree with your vision of a peaceful international community that is based on respect and the understanding that we all are the same!

Anh Khoa attends EAC School of Languages in Besançon in France. Anh Khoa's home language is French, English is the second language.