Download - Timeline of language and culture
By Michela Dai Zovi
TIMELINE OF LANGUAGE AND
CULTURE
My brother and I were born in Illinois but raised in the Northeast
Heights of Albuquerque, NM
BIRTH TO CHILDHOOD
My mother is a Spanish teacher and raised her children bilingually. Although I do not
currently consider myself fluent in Spanish, both languages were integral to my
upbringing.
RAISED BILINGUALLY
Though my mother is an anglo from
Iowa and my father an Italian
immigrant, I grew up identifying with Latino-influenced
New Mexican culture.
(pictured: my family and myself at my aunt’s wedding)
NEW MEXICAN CHILDHOOD
When I was 12 we visited my father’s relatives in Italy, but in
truth the strongest
connection I have to
Italian-ness is my hard-to-
spell name..
(pictured: my family and
myself at my cousin’s house
in Italy)
ITALIAN ANCESTRY
Consistent with my American middle-class upbringing, I went to college and used my BA
to join the lightly-educated professional workforce.
(This period of my life was too boring to have any pictures to illustrate it. This blank, black
abyss is appropriate)
EARLY ADULTHOOD
While working at an adult day health care center owned by a Ukrainian-
American couple, I happened upon an outdated tour guide
for a tiny country in the Caucasus mountains.
Every page in the book was infinitely more exciting than
any given moment of my then-existence.
Within a few weeks I had accepted a position teaching
English in the Republic of Georgia.
2011: INTERNATIONAL TRANSITION
Going to Georgia, learning a new
language, meeting new people, and enmeshing myself in a way of life
completely unlike anything I had ever known was the best thing I could have
done.
It taught me the truth of one of my favorite
quotes…
(yes, those are real bears)
CULTURE SHOCK AND AWE
"The world can only appear
monochromatic to those who persist in
interpreting what they experience
through the lens of a single cultural paradigm, their
own. For those with the eyes to see and the heart to feel, it remains a rich and
complex topography of the spirit.“
Wade Davis
My next position teaching at a combined hostel & language institute in Chile cemented my commitment
to building community amongst internationals.
(Family Dinner Night was always my favorite part of the week)
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Along with my liebensabschnittspartner (life
partner) I met in Chile, I’ve continued travelling while completing coursework to
obtain my Level 1 Teaching License.
The place where I grew up will always be an
important part of me…
…But I try not to take my culture
too seriously.
The end.
(and beginning)
PRESENT: MY FAMILY, SUMMER OF 2014