A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

• A description of the three items you would choose
• The three items I would bring with me are:
  I would bring is a picture of me and my family sitting on the front porch.
  An old family recipe of chili
  My daughter’s saxophone
  I would bring the picture of the front porch because it represents many different things.  The rocking chair in the picture is one that I received as a mother’s day gift and I enjoy drinking coffee in it in the mornings and evenings.  Kids gather and eat ice cream on the porch stair, and we gather on the porch some nights to tell stories. This is meaningful in our culture – to connect in a world full of electronics.
  I would bring my old family recipe of chili and I would explain to others that this is a recipe we enjoy many times in the cold months of Ohio.
  I would also bring my daughters saxophone. This is my daughters most prized possession and I would bring this because I would want to hear her play. It would also be a testament to what children may be like in the United States. Her enthusiasm and love for the music would show who she is and a window into what we like as a family.  
  • Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you
  • Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,
  If I had to give up two items and keep only one, I would keep my daughters saxophone.  This would be something that would help us to live in the moment by listening to her play and by making new memories with her saxophone. It would tell a lot about our family and who we are. This exercise has made me think about how important the family itself is.  Things can always be replaced as long as the ones you love are with you. This means everything!  I would only hope to find people in the new country to be open to our culture and traditions.  I realize after this exercise how important it is for us to welcome people who are new to our culture and how being welcoming and open to new ideas and thoughts is important.