Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Welcome to my new blog!  As Festival Coordinator for Brazos Valley Worldfest I have realized how much culture affects our daily lives without realizing it. 
As a person who was born and raised in Central Texas and has lived in a 40 mile radius my whole life - and has yet to get a stamp in my passport -  you might wonder what I know about world cultures.  I don't profess to be an expert, but thanks to having worked in international programs at Texas A&M University for the last 15+ years I have had the opportunity to meet people from around the world and learn about their cultures.  I have hosted students from around the world to dinner in my home. I have planned award ceremonies for President's of 2 different countries.  I consider myself very knowledgeable about international flags and flag protocol.  All of this is to say you don't have to be a world traveler to appreciate other cultures.  There are ways you can learn about the world in your own neighborhood.  I look forward to sharing what I have learned and hope to create an interest in my readers on how we all fit together in this ever shrinking world. 

Merriam-Webster defines culture as: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc of a particular society, group, place or time.  I am not promoting one culture over any other.  I look forward to sharing how even though some cultures may seem very different, we still have commonalities.  How does our culture affect how we think about others?  How we decide what to wear each day?  What we decide to pack for lunch?

I could not even list all of the cultures I identify with - volleyball mom, family member, Mom to a teenager, Texas A&M Former Student (WHOOP!), Catholic, Dog Lover, Sandwich Generation, German heritage, Southerner, Female in her 40's (UGH...), just to name a few.  I bet you never thought of some of those as being a culture right?  But each category fits with the definition of culture.  And don't we as humans LOVE to put things in categories!! 


Through this blog I'll share the mission of Brazos Valley Worldfest as well as other interesting facts about culture and heritage.  Including but not limited to: holidays, music and arts, interesting cultural awareness programs, food, cultural programs and festivals and many other ways we can all learn to connect with the world around us.  Please send me your questions and comments.  I would love to hear your thoughts.