What is culture? What is my culture?

Merriam Webster 

culture

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noun  cul·ture \ˈkəl-chər\

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Examples: culture in a Sentence

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Definition of culture

1. 1:  cultivation, tillageWe ought to blame the culture, not the soil. — Alexander Pope
2. 2:  the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education
3. 3:  expert care and training beauty culture
4. 4a :  enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic trainingb :  acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills a person of culture
5. 5a :  the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generationsb :  the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also :  the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time popular culture Southern culturec :  the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization a corporate culture focused on the bottom lined :  the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic studying the effect of computers on print cultureChanging the culture of materialism will take time … — Peggy O'Mara
6. 6:  the act or process of cultivating living material (such as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media; also :  a product of such cultivation

           This is how I see American culture, its a melting pot of all kinds of different people but all of these people have some key and fundamental similarities. American culture is based on rights which we all possess. Freedom of speech is a huge part of our culture and everyone has the right to fight for what they believe in. And everyone has the right to be who they want to be as long as they do not hinder upon the rights of others. The American culture is all about accepting different kinds of people and what they believe in. We are all smushed together and forced, in a way, to work side by side. And slowly but surely biasses are shaken and new bonds form, ones of friendship. The goal of every American, it seems, is to be successful and provide for his or her family. We are very values based people and crossing those boundaries is intolerable. Though those values do change with the times and are for and by the people. So it does not mater where you come from because you will fit right into our melting pot.  

    I have experienced mild degrees of culture shock throughout my life. I have had many opportunities to make many different friends with different backgrounds than I.  And I have been many places as well. I have come across many shocking things that differ greatly from my world. For example, when I went to Italy I was shocked at the sizes of their cars which were basically go carts. This may seem like a small observation but when everyone is zooming by you in little go carts called cars I would guarantee you would be shocked as well. I also have some Muslim and Mormon friends who I sometimes have very stimulating conversations with. For instance one time my Muslim friend told me that when praying in their mosque the women were behind the men. At first, I was appalled was this an act of sexism I questioned? But it turned out it was exactly the opposite. When going to the mosque women are traditionally robed in dresses and sitting behind the men ensures their privacy when bending over. Though I have had mild degrees of culture shock they have all taught me valuable lessons on how to see beyond my own bias and through their eyes.