i can literally *half* relate to this essay because my grandfather came here from Skerries to the states in 1947, eventually he settled down in Santa Rosa by the early 1950’s.
growing up, my mom’s side of the family (her parents, her 3 siblings, my 9 cousins, and my 2 other siblings) all lived within a stones throw of each other in town. it is a very tight knit family but because i am fully white and irish is not really a well represented ethnic enclave in the bay area (sonoma county is moreso italian) i kinda assumed my upbringing was more standard american. as a child, i assumed all old men “talked like that” (his accent), i also assumed a strict catholic and communal upbringing was the default as well until i took actual history classes (the concept of the WASP). it didn’t really hit me how different a lot of the mainstream american culture was different until i moved to the pacific northwest (which imo gives off way more anglo / protestant vibes historically).
going to a UC and studying in a majority chinese stats department for some extended time was also interesting because it showed me some of the similarities in my upbringing vs their’s.
Thank you for sharing your family history! I live in the Bay Area now so I really appreciate learning about growing up here since compared to Boston (maybe unsurprisingly) but also Chicago and New York, which are the two other mainland US places I've lived, it does seem less culturally Catholic — despite growing up Protestant I know I don't have a great sense of the mainstream American cilture
i can literally *half* relate to this essay because my grandfather came here from Skerries to the states in 1947, eventually he settled down in Santa Rosa by the early 1950’s.
growing up, my mom’s side of the family (her parents, her 3 siblings, my 9 cousins, and my 2 other siblings) all lived within a stones throw of each other in town. it is a very tight knit family but because i am fully white and irish is not really a well represented ethnic enclave in the bay area (sonoma county is moreso italian) i kinda assumed my upbringing was more standard american. as a child, i assumed all old men “talked like that” (his accent), i also assumed a strict catholic and communal upbringing was the default as well until i took actual history classes (the concept of the WASP). it didn’t really hit me how different a lot of the mainstream american culture was different until i moved to the pacific northwest (which imo gives off way more anglo / protestant vibes historically).
going to a UC and studying in a majority chinese stats department for some extended time was also interesting because it showed me some of the similarities in my upbringing vs their’s.
Thank you for sharing your family history! I live in the Bay Area now so I really appreciate learning about growing up here since compared to Boston (maybe unsurprisingly) but also Chicago and New York, which are the two other mainland US places I've lived, it does seem less culturally Catholic — despite growing up Protestant I know I don't have a great sense of the mainstream American cilture
I loved this one, Siobhan. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you!
i am here for the stats AND the senti
Thank youu