I chose some of the words that I brainstormed from my domain map.
5 Words I Picked
what it means and why?
Relationships
This word means not solely just the relationships we have with our loved ones, but the relationships we form around us. We interact and connect to the world around us differently. They make-up who we are and so that is why this word means a lot to me.
Introvert
Since I particularly identify with this word, this has always been something I am really interested in and meaningful. I realized that in different cultures tend to favor introverts over extroverts and vice versa. It’s the different way of thinking and a number of thoughts that go through an introvert’s head that really interests me. I think to learn more about our behavior, learning about introversion and extroversion is very crucial.
Volunteer
This word resonates with me because when one is volunteering for a cause, they are doing it because they care, without anything in return. I think it’s important to know what you care about and if you are not paid anything for it, you are still willing to give and help others in need. This is why this word particular stood out for me.
Culture
Growing up, I constantly switched cultures. Cultures, to me, is a group of study of people which have a certain language, norms, and traditions. Different ways of thinking and conflicts could arise when you meet people from different cultures. As a kid who grew up in a bilingual family, I’m also particularly sensitive to different cultures. That is why this word stood out to me.
Memories
Memories are how each of us perceives and remembers how the world works. We almost always rely on our memories to make decisions and react to events around us. How we perceive memories always affects of our feelings and emotions towards the events around us. For me, I love to write in my planner and stick photos in them as a way of remembering what I did. Thus, this word relates to me greatly and is the way I love to live, constantly writing down what just happen to keep my memories so I don’t forget them.
Madeline is different. Growing up in a bilingual family. She speaks Japanese, Chinese, and Shanghainese(dialect), and English fluently. Her mother is Shanghainese while her father is Japanese. Madeline grew up in Japan but soon moved to Shanghai with her family in middle school. Now she just started her new semester of high school in Italy. It has not always been easy to move so frequently. Once again, their family moved to Europe in her Junior year due to work reasons. Although she hasn’t made any friends yet and using English is hard to communicate around, she loves the city of Rome and is perfectly fine exploring it on her own. She loves to walk in the city on her own to unwind herself from a day of class which makes her feel alive again. Her favorite places to visit include the library where she can burst herself into the smell of books. A very historical looking park that she loves to study the lines of architecture and one kindergarten where she always passes by on her way to school. She is surprised after observing the kids for an afternoon, the vast degree of activities and self-play offered. She starts to spend a lot of time at the kindergarten playing with kids and talking to them in broken Italian she learned at school. She loves how simple their minds are which made her feel easier to practice in her broken Italian. Sometimes, she brings them snacks from home and she would be like the big sister, talking and playing different fun games. She really loves the time she spends with them. One of the other favorite Madeline loves to do is to go with her mom to the local market on the weekends. She loves to cook and help out her mom cook on weekends has always been very stress-relieving. Her mom is an excellent cook; she cooks from Chinese, Japanese, and Italian cuisines. Her dad has been putting on weight and it was always hard to lose weight ever since dad married mom.
Moving to a new place is never easy especially for an introvert like Madeline. However, she is finding the fun small things when coming to a new place that she has come to enjoy the new events and people she would not have ever met if she stayed in one place. She especially loves the leisure and romantic nature of the Italians. She then fitted in very well in Rome for a year, made new friends and really enjoyed the city. After that year, their family was going to move again, back to Japan, and this time staying for the long term. Knowing this, Madeline was happy to be back to the land where she grew up in but also felt extreme sadness to be ending this journey of perpetual moving. It is a love-hate relationship and now she will be missing it.
