Cultural Autobiographical Reflection

Author Note
This paper was prepared for SPCHxxx, Intercultural Communication taught by Professor xxxxxx.

Cultural Autobiographical Reflection
Cultural Group Membership
The first cultural group that I subscribe to and identify with is the African American culture. Like many, the African culture is represented in many forms such as music, art, storytelling and dance. Cultures exist to satisfy the needs of its subscribers. Through culture, I was taught about food habits, rituals concerning life and death, and how to worship. In many African American households, it is customary to serve black-eyed peas adhering to the belief that dish is a lucky New Year's meal is especially popular in the south.
These practices frown upon verbal communication while attending classes, as in some settings verbal communication completely restricted. Nonverbal messages employ gesturing, the nodding of a head or point of a finger to indicate direction. There are times when an instructor uses body contact to help achieve certain poses or stands.
As stated by Kemp, “there are many references to verbal communication amongst New Agers, as we are said to use metaphors to describe experiences that are deemed beyond empirical” (p. 7). In addition, we have borrowed words that may tie into various beliefs systems and adopted the terms to apply to a subject matter within the subculture. A great example would be “energy” and "energy fields".
Subcultural Group Membership
The final subculture that I identify with is Bohemianism. The term is synonymous with a variation of artistry and is used as a generalized adjective describing such people, environs, or situations. The American College Dictionary defines Bohemian as "a person with artistic or intellectual tendencies, who lives and acts with no regard for conventional rules of behavior."
I developed a social attractiveness to the practices of this unconventional lifestyle and desired to be a part of it of this movement. Bohemians share a common belief that humans have a powerful life force and should use this power to become unique individuals. Within the Bohemian communities, the culture is usually comprised of like-minded