Bibliography

Sciences: Nature Versus Nurture | Science Study Guide | CliffsNotes . 2015. Sciences: Nature Versus Nurture | Science Study Guide | CliffsNotes . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/sciences/what-does-nature-versus-nurture-mean

Gender Stereotypes . 2015. Gender Stereotypes . [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/sciences/sociology/sex-and-gender/gender-stereotypes

99 Interesting Facts About The World To Blow Your Mind. 2015. 99 Interesting Facts About The World To Blow Your Mind. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/interesting-facts-about-the-world#1

Cultural Influences on Perception. 2015. Cultural Influences on Perception. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/sensation-and-perception-5/advanced-topics-in-perception-40/cultural-influences-on-perception-174-12709/

Celebrities and Their Influence | Teen Essay on Entertainment. 2015. Celebrities and Their Influence | Teen Essay on Entertainment. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/media_influences_teenagers.html

In the universe...

In the universe, there is a planet called earth. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets and was formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago. It is also the only known planet to support life. There are about 7.125 billion people living on this planet, with around 250 births and 105 deaths in each minute. 

Family and Kinship

 In this large large world, there is me, just one and only me. Christina Park or my full name Christina Ji Yeon Park. An average 16 year old living in Sydney Australia.

On the 12th of March 1999 at 8:38am, I, was born into this large large world. 11 hours away from where I currently live, in South Korea, Seoul. And out of all families, I fortunate to be born into such loving and supportive family. My Dad, Mum, big brother Tony and younger sister Rebecca that was born 7 years after i was. But for now that made 4 of us.

My family travelled a lot between the countries Korea and Australia, due to my dad's work. Also a reason why I am the only one in the child of three to be born in Korea. I grew up in a city called Seoul, attending pre school and a few months of kindergarten before moving back to Australia.

The relationship my family has is very different and strange at times. The bond is so strong that we know we'll always have each other's backs, even if we don't communicate as much, we'll always understand each other and support one another. The attitude of this also influences the way i live my social life as i always seem to be understanding of my surroundings. Beyond just the kinship, we have such weird humours that run down our genetics that we are like each others best friends.

Genetics (Nature VS Nurture)

Being born into a family with an older brother made me very sporty. Unlike many girls I liked to go out for a run to play soccer or play with toy cars rather than barbie dolls. However strangely enough, I ALWAYS wore pink. This reflects my personal and social identity, nature vs nurture. It is socially constructed that girls wear pink and boys wear blue. Like any other parent, my parents dressed me in pink, which for me became a natural habit. This topic has been debated for years in why girls where pink and boys wear blue. 

Growing up I very athletic, in one of the interviews I had with my mother, she said "You used to watch your brother figure skate at the age of 4 and one day you asked to try it out yourself, I agreed so you could experience it yourself. Little did I know you had true ability to figure skate, not your brother!" All throughout primary school, I represented the school in going to zone or area competition for cross country, swimming and athletics, always coming first or second in my age group. It is scientifically proven that genetics have some sort of contribution to the sporting performance of one but is very hard to quantify the performance. However our athleticism is also determined by nurture,  through resources, age, culture and involvement. The development of athleticism is neither a direct genetic makeup of nature or the environment nurture but a combination of both.

Gender

Gender is also an aspect that determines your personal and social identity, when we are born, we are assigned a sex and sent out into the large large world. It identifies individuals as male or female. How individuals perceive themselves, what they call themselves and their role are all influenced generically by their gender. It has become a social norm that men are masculine, strong and aggressive  while female are expected to be ladylike. But what is ladylike? Ladylike (adjective) -  "Characteristic of a well-mannered woman or girl who adheres to traditional norms of propriety and femininity" (website Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ladylike) Because I am born a girl, I am already given a role in shaping my responsibility and expectations. Despite the fact that I was very tomboyish all throughout my primary school life, I have turned out to be quite girly girl at times. Like having to wear makeup due to insecurities and to fit into expectations of the society. The expectations include; being in the kitchen, to be smarter than men, being clean, etc. This expectation definitely puts pressure onto my life, as my mother seeks for my help in the kitchen. Even with the negative expectations, there are some perks about being a girl. For example, rules like "ladies first", "rich inner lives" and more. Thus, gender difference is socially constructed and takes part in shaping the expectations and behaviours. 

Beliefs, Morals, Values and Faith

My beliefs, morals, values and faith, which are all a characteristic of my identity, comes from my Catholic family background. Although my family did not attend church every Sunday, pray before and after eating; the attitude and beliefs my parents had was naturally lead down to me. It was expected to get my communion and to get baptised, which I did at the age of 5 at the age of 8. Catholicism was also one of the influences in why I chose to go to Oakhill College. A school that has an excellent reputation for the Lasallian community. My parents taught me the morality of the actions between what is right or wrong and the difference in good and bad. 'treating people the way you want to be treated' and 'giving everything a go'. Through this I have been able to conduct my own decisions in life that my parents would be pleased about. Being taught these life lessons at an early age are extremely important as people unconsciously use it everyday. The importance of good role models kick in when it comes to belief, morals, values and faith and I have been lucky to be born into a family who hold these extensive elements close to their heart. 

First day of school

I remember my first day at Excelsior Public School when I joined midway of kindergarten, I knew absolutely no English and encountering with 'white' people who have blue eyes, blonde hair for the first time was very difficult for a 5 year old me to fit into. This made me fearful that I cried so much I got sent home. It was actually REALLY hard for me, not only did I know no English but I had very bad separation anxiety with my mum. This separation anxiety was very severe and this continued up till I was in year 4. I cried almost everyday of school that the principle kindly asked me to leave. So I went back to pre school for a couple of months before going back to excelsior and managing to settle in very well and completing my primary school life with a bang.

Year 6 Formal