Self Reflecting

Even though it has been talked about constantly throughout the semester, and I know the “definition” of what an autobiographical piece is and what its purpose is, I still wasn’t completely solid on the idea of what it truly is. This week it has really clicked with me. Especially on Wednesday when we did the exercise to get us started with really thinking about the main points of our autoethnography projects. When we did these exercises, it took me in a complete different direction than I was originally thinking.

At first, I was really trying to think of a way to do my project without it being a research project, which is what I am so used to doing. I was trying to make it personal and connected to my community, my life, and myself. While ding these activities, I realized that that is actually the direction my project is going to take. The actual idea of what community is. It is more than just a group of people in close proximity. It is more than a town of people who occasionally speak to each other at the store when passing by. It is a group of people who come together for each other when they need to. I didn’t know how anything in this project about my community’s tragedy and violence overall had anything to do with me, but it is the aftermath, the community, that reflects myself.

For the most part, all of the readings we have done have impacted my thinking, at the very least, for this project. But the one that really stood out to me was Sei Shongan’s ‘Hateful Things’. I think this really stood out to be and impacted my thoughts for the project because I really saw myself in this. Of course all of those things she discussed in her writing is super irritating to most people, myself included, but I really read deeper into things when I can relate and see myself where the writer is. But when we discussed the significance of the piece is what really stuck with me. It says a lot about not only her, but her culture and her community by speaking on the things that are very irritating to her. It also showed how similar we all really are, even years and years later, we are all very similar in many ways.