Trever Keith

Individual Cultural Project

Prof Connie Christensen
EDU 280
Cultural Belonging
I was born in 1969 in Encino, CA which is a small suburb of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. My parents were a young married
couple at the time of my birth and they have continued to stay married until today. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary. I believe the example my parents set with the commitment they have shown to their family and their strong commitment to
each other has had a big impact on forming my values in my own marriage and family. My father’s side of the family and my mother’s
side of the family are both of Western European background with the largest influence from the UK region. I know this only from the
results we found through researching our family tree on ancestory.com and through DNA testing. Aside from that, my ancestor’s
surname and origin is something I have found to have very little influence in my view of our culture because I have been largely
unfamiliar with it. It’s little more than a historical lineage. I identify as an American. As I grew up and in my own family today we
celebrate the typical holidays that are recognized in America (and sometimes elsewhere) like Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. I grew
up in Southern California and lived there most of my life. I identify with West Coast culture and the things that are associated with it
like beach culture, skateboarding, etc. I suppose because of the large influence of Mexican /American culture in Southern California it is
something that has influenced me as well. I love mexican food. I can speak a little Spanish. When I was young I gravitated toward music
and found an entire culture of alternative / punk rock music that was associated with West Coast culture and it had a big impact on me. I
started a band and quickly ingrained my songwriting and musical style into the West Coast punk rock sound associated with bands like
Descendents and Social Distortion. My mother in law is Portuguese. For a lot of my youth I was closed minded about what a wonderful
cultural asset that was. It wasn’t until I was already in my forties until I visited Portugal for the first time.
Cultural Belonging
My wife speaks fluent Portuguese. When I started attending
CSN in 2017, I enrolled in my first Portuguese course and I
am now in my second year. We have been visiting Portugal
regularly for the past few years and it has become a special
place for us. My son also speaks Portuguese and like me, my
daughter is learning the language. My wife recently was
granted her citizenship in Portugal and the rest of our family is My family and I at an LA Dodger game in Seattle, WA

in the process for applying for dual citizenship. I and my

children have only ever lived in the United States, but my wife
growing up lived in Portugal, Germany, and Japan. I grew up
somewhat closed minded with regard to anything other than
my own home and American culture.When I met my wife in
1985 she opened my mind and attitude about the great things
in experiencing different countries and their cultures. Later in
life I would have the opportunity to travel to many countries,
meet the people, and experience the culture of these places.
This significantly changed my worldview to a more inclusive
On a recent visit to Porto, Portugal my wife and I visited
and tolerant one. Taylor Wine Cellars. Port wine is one of the main Portuguese
exports.
Life Experiences
From the time I was born until I was about 22 years old, I never left the state of California. I had a skeptical worldview. I was a bit
dubious of foreign cultures and believed that American culture was superior. I was born in 1969 at the tail end of the civil rights
movement, this was the year we landed on the moon and a year after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Nixon was president
and the US was still in the Vietnam war. The country was full of strife. I was an infant, but the events in this time galvanized the
country. My parents, who were barely in their 20’s when I was born, were of course influenced by these times. They were not part of the
hippie youth culture. They were more conservative. This was pervasive in my household throughout my childhood. Being conservative
is not necessarily a bad thing, but more than anything, there was a closed-mindedness in my household. This was something that, as I
became a young adult, I realized was not consistent with my way of thinking. I wanted something else. I wanted to travel and experience
more of the world. I began playing music in a band and through this I was able to, and still continue to, travel to many different
countries around the world. When I finally did leave the state of California in 1993 at the ripe old age of 22, I went to Germany. This
was a huge culture shock for me. I did not speak the language. We did not have smartphones. There was no google translate, no google
maps, no real functioning internet. We had to actually interact with the local people and try our best communicate. Luckily, most young
people spoke at least a little bit of English. We slept on floors in the promoter’s apartments and relied on them to cook us meals, etc. We
had a chance to really immerse ourselves into the youth culture in Germany and it was very eye opening for me to see how differently
people lived from me and to see that they were also leading happy, fulfilled lives. This made me question the superiority I had
previously felt in my American culture. It was the beginning of an awakening for me that I would continue to develop for my whole life
as I traveled.
My Worldview
I am a 49 year old American male. My ethnic ancestry is mainly rooted in the United Kingdom, although my own family, parents, and
grandparents do not put much emphasis on any culture other than United States American culture. My family is the most important thing
to me. Being a good father for my children and a good husband to my wife is my foremost goal in my life. Living in a country that
makes it possible for me to pursue my dream of a career in music and now pursuing an education is something I highly value. I believe
it is important for people to be responsible for themselves. Personal responsibility is taking credit for the things you do right and
accepting blame for the things you don’t. My decision making process is guided by whether or not I am bringing value or good to my
family and whether I am bringing good into the world. I was brought up in a home where my parents lived by example of how to be
moral and just. I was taught to have respect for others and treat strangers with kindness. Also to be personally responsible for your
actions. My wife supports these morals and we have tried to live by example for our own children. I believe it is important to set goals in
life and work toward them whether you achieve them or not. I also believe it is important to bring good to others. I was raised in a home
where we practiced christianity, but as I continued in my education of the natural sciences and philosophy, I have become non-religious.
However, I think it is important for everyone to respect each other’s religious beliefs and especially the lack of them. I have been on a
quest to limit my biases and prejudices and I feel like I have made some good strides in the 49 years of my life despite the environment
and times of my youth that shaped some of the negative opinions I used to have about different lifestyles and attitudes in the world.
Traveling the world and experiencing other cultures first hand has been a huge factor in wiping out biases with regard to preconceived
notions of how others live and their perspectives in different parts of the world.
Cultural Artifacts

Me performing on stage in Brazil with my band face to face in 2017

Keith Family Crest