You're a What?

My life has been so diverse that it's difficult for me to admit much culture shock unless my journey through life has been riddled with nothing but it. Sometimes black and white have no grey area yet they become intertwined to the point you just become numb to it or adapt. After spending a childhood moving from place to place every year and sometimes more often than that I have grown accustomed to being the odd one out; I almost relish it.

I suppose the most distinct instance of culture shock I have experienced would when I dated someone who would be considered I suppose "young and upwardly mobile." The two of us had little trouble communicating, but social occasions were always rather awkward. At that time I did not know who I was and identified myself by my role and not as myself. I spent the majority of these occasions in a shell attempting to connect but having a difficult time doing so.

These social gatherings always began very cordially as I was wearing the proper attire and introduced as the girl friend of this individual. The first question that was always asked was the one that always made me leery- What do you do? My response at the time was that I worked as a project manager for a local construction firm. The attitude of the person asking the question would immediately change, and I would spend the remainder of the function alone and wishing it would quickly end..... even when I was the hostess.

Occasionally further questioning would ensue as to what my plans for the future were because it just wasn't proper for a lady to be among a group of roughnecks making a living. I would explain that I was in school to be a teacher (I had been going into electrical engineering, but my boy friend had talked me into a more "feminine" selection.) Upon making my major known I would be criticised the remainder of the occasion for throwing away my education on some poor helpless children and being penniless. I always found this amusing because the majority of the women in this circle were not employed but were supported by their husbands' income.

I made several attempts to join in conversation with these ladies only to feel like an outsider intruding upon the lavish lifestyles of the wealthy. Their discussions about clothing brands that I cannot pronounce, going to the spa for this and that, and uneeded plastic surgery made me feel like I had entered another realm of which I was alien. I had nothing to interject in these situations because I could not relate in the slightest, having never experienced any of these hobbies.

These situations began to take a toll on the relationship between my boy friend and I. It was further compounded by his mother and brother who were very disappointed with him for selecting a woman beneath his socioeconomic class. This is what eventually did end our relationship.

Thankfully this is no longer an issue for me. I know exactly who I am now. I am proud of what I do for a living and no longer identify myself strictly by my occupation. I am secure in who I am and no longer feel like I must bow to those who see me as lesser. I feel no more need to hide in the corner ashamed of who I am. I now stand tall when confronted with the opinions of those who think me unworthy of their time because of my occupation and those of my parents. The most amusing reality in this situation is the fact that my income will closely match theirs within the next few years, but I will be more financially secure because I will remember the struggles to reach these goals and will not be mortgaged to the max attempting to impress people who are only out to impress people.