Globalizing My World Anonymous

As a French-American, I am symbolically bound to two altogether different cultural spheres via the hyphen. In its relation to me, the hyphen holds more than symbolic value alone. Growing up in America with divorced parents, my mother French and my father American, the preservation and development of my French culture has necessitated constant attention and perseverance. Along the lines of the hyphen, I have worked hard to develop equal Franco-American appreciation and involvement. Of course, going to an English speaking school, having English speaking friends, and living in an American world gives precedence to English as my tongue of choice; a conscious effort, then, is required to maintain equivalence of French usage and appreciation. I am proud of my duality, and wish to bolster it, learn from it, and maintain it. Being blessed with cultural duality has made me realize what a beautiful gift it is that I have been given, and consequently I race to understand and realize the potential of my interacting cultures.

At home my mother and I speak only French, she taking the liberty to correct my usage liberally - and I taking pains to rectify whatever poor usage or error I've made. It's often easy for my mother and me to...