If asked if I could visit any place in the world I always say Germany and get quizzical looks afterward. I embrace my German culture and love everything about it. The object I am using is an old German cuckoo clock. A cuckoo clock is a pendulum-regulated clock that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and has a fake cuckoo bird that moves with each note. Some birds move their wings and open and close their beaks while leaning forward, whereas in others, only the bird's body is leaned forward. In mine, only the bird’s body leans forward. This object originated in the Black Forest area in southwestern Germany. This object technically isn’t mine, my great grandfather gave this clock to my grandfather, then my grandfather gave this clock to my father, and soon enough when my brother starts his own family, my father is going to give the clock to my brother. Christmas Eve was the date that my great grandfather chose as to when the cuckoo clock was to be given to my grandfather, then later, my father. This object is important to me because I love to speak of my German culture, I even take independent study classes to learn about Germany and to learn the German language. This object is the only German-related and tangible thing that my family still has over many years and I find that fascinating. This object connects to my identity and culture, it symbolizes innocence and childhood along with old age and the past. The cuckoo clock is the cultural icon of Germany

– hailey

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