Survey Questions

1. Do you think everyone conform at some point in their life?

2. If you were ever in an uncomfortable situation, would you conform to change the atmosphere or keep your reputation?

3. Has conformation changed throughout each generation?

4. Do you believe conforming is a positive or negative to society 

My dad

My dad was born in Rabbat, Morocco. One of 6 siblings, my dad was raised with very strong family morals and the idea that each member of the family must contribute. Whether it be Friday night Sabbath or even just setting the table, my dad has carried these family traditions over into our family. But I can't imagine how hard the transition must have been; from living in poverty in Rabbat to living in the crazy city of Los Angeles. Even today, my father sometimes complains to me about the differences and how our family life differs greatly from his, as his family was constantly together and working from the age of 13. I always love hearing his stories, how he would play with slingshots in the streets to break the street lights, or hang out with his friends. But the most important lesson I've taken from my dads story is to appreciate all I have. He moved around his entire life, and always advises me to keep hold of my friends that I have now, as I have lived with them my entire life, something he never had. I wish to talk to him about this change, and how he managed moving cities and friends all the time, and what he had to change in order to "fit in" in every city.

Conformity Stories

For this story I'll focus on my mom. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and at the age of 10 moved to Los Angeles and graduated from North Hollywood High School. Both of her parents were Yugoslavian immigrants, my grandpa was a professional soccer player and is now in the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame. Not only do I want to find out how her upbringing was in Milwaukee, but how those traditions carried on to the crazy city of Los Angeles. How did her parents adapt from Yugoslavia, to Wisconsin, the to Los Angeles. I would also like to talk to my grandpa about some of his stories fighting in the war and how they carried onto his children's lives.

Conformity Questions

Here are some questions I plan to ask my parents:

Mom-
1. You were born in the US after your parents moved from Yugoslavia, had they been affected by the war? How did that affect your life at home?
2. As a child, did you experience any differences between the upbringings by your parents and the upbringings of your friends? How did your culture stand out?
3. What was the most difficult part of adapting your parents to US life?
4. Was there any tradition your parents celebrating that came from your culture?
5. Did you ever feel the pressure to leave behind your culture and focus on American culture? Or were you adapted to American cultures already?
6. Were you ever made fun of because of were you were from? Your accent, clothing, foods?

Dad-
1. You were born in Morocco, and have now seen what American childhoods are like. What are the major differences?
2. What was it like growing up in northern Africa?
3. What age were you when you moved? Where have you lived?
4. How was the transformation for your parents? As a young adult it must have been easier to adapt but not for them. What was the hardest part?
5. Did you ever feel the pressure to leave behind your culture and focus on American culture?
6. What traditions did you bring to America?

Conformity Part 2

As mentioned in my first blog, I want to focus on my parents' conformity rather than my grandparents. I feel that because I am closer with my parents, I can further understand they're emotions while growing up in America from another country. Originally, I wanted to just focus on my mom's journey as a first generation American from Czchekoslovakia with immigrant parents, adjusting to american cultures while her parents fell behind. But now, I want to compare the journey's of both my parents. My dad grew up in Morocco and later moved here with his family. He was more affected by the culture shock as my mom was born here in Wisconsin. I think the comparison between the two upbringings will be incredibly interesting, along with the conformity struggles they overcame as non-American families.

Conformity

Conformity is a problem through all likes of society. People conform to please others or to simply just fit in, rejecting the fear of becoming the social outcast. I feel that today, social conformity has lessen more than past history. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her inability to marry for wealth as she wants to marry for love. Although today people are pressured to conform to the a perfect Beverly Hills barbie, or to a Hollywood movie star, the repercussions of not marrying or loosing social standing in the 1800's was more devastating that not have that perfect pair of new shoes. But even today we face a multitude of opportunities to conform through our parents, friends, and social media. All of these opportunities present themselves in a way that others want to conform to ones opinion or way of life so that they don't become the outsider or one left behind. My topic for my essay will be to focus on my mother's up bringing with two foreign parents and how she had to chose between her roots and the American lifestyle.