Exposing yourself to a different culture can be quite intimidating but none the less very rewarding. In formulation of this reflection, I started by thinking about what cultural event would be the most beneficial for my personal life as well as fitting into the assignment. Being able to participate in this was definitely a significant learning experience. It offered me the opportunity to dive into a new experience and from this I gained knowledge and understanding of a new culture. Knowing the complexities of culture is very important including norms, values, traditions, religion, language, customs and so forth.
Quick Glance The moment I embarked on this journey, I was completely immersed in a culture that was foreign to anything I’ve known. Never in my twenty two years of existence had I experienced something like this before. I was aware that the service began at ten in the morning therefore I made sure that I arrived before that time for the simple reason that I did not want to attract any more attention to myself. As I walked in, everyone was standing near the entrance socializing with one another. The one only person I knew there greeted me at the door and introduced me to other members of the congregation including one of the pastors. They were all very friendly, greeting me with a handshake and a smile. We made our way to the “main sanctuary” as they called it and the rest of the members had already taken their seat. I noticed their apparel was very dressy almost as
The chapter continued to discuss how people experience other cultures when they are removed from their area to a different place. This occurs in the form of culture shock people experience new traditions that are unfamiliar to them when the come to a place that is home to another culture. Human development may also include joining the ideas of various cultures and forming it into a new concept. It puts heavy emphasis on learning other cultures in an unbiased form in order to compare and make observations. This chapter also studies of culture have been able to advance over time and how change is an essential aspect of
For this assignment, we had to attend a meeting of a spiritual tradition that is not our own. As this assignment's due date approached, I became very anxious! I didn’t quite know where I wanted to go. In my sewing class one day my friend, Kelly Jorgensen, had asked if I had finished the assignment. I had not. “Me and Karlie Mortensen are going to the Baptist church over by Riverton Hospital this Sunday at 6:00 PM if you want to join us” she offered. I found this rather funny. The day before, as I was driving home from work, the Harvest Valley Baptist Church sign had caught my eye. I thought to myself that I should
1.To improve my understanding of different cultures I could study them on the Internet or in person through experience such as travel and I can also engage in events and local groups that celebrate different cultures such as multicultural gatherings and festivals.
Exploring different cultures as well as your own in order to understand the various ways they do things compared to our own can be enlightening as well as challenging. The main challenge comes from being used to your own culture that it is difficult to view a different culture without any personal bias. Being born and raised in a culture and getting used to those norms of everyday life contributes to the bias that one may show, believing that their own culture is superior to another. This type of thought process is called ethnocentrism. But with the use of an etic and emic approach to analyze your own culture and different cultures will help eliminate ethnocentrism. Using an outsider’s
During the experiment I learned a lot of valuable things that will help me when I do decide to travel out of the country. I have experienced a few culture shocks but nowhere near as much as I did during this experiment. I really do not understand how people could travel all the time to a new country with a different culture all the time. Even though it may be exhausting to visit other cultures, it still would be an interesting experience, just not all the time. I have been told it is awesome to go through it but before I go, I am going to a few things. First, I am going to research some of the different aspects of the culture and why they do the things they do. This will help me learn about them so when I get there more the experience would make since. Also, I would ask other people what they thought about the culture, but I would not completely rely on them because everyone views new things differently.
Culture plays a significant role in defining our identity and worldview. For newcomers, culture is the primary frame that shapes their interaction with other newcomers and with established residents in their new community. This interaction can occur anywhere and
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive” (Mahatma). Our culture identifies who we are and how we behave in social environments and provides us with a foundation in which to live our lives and raise our families. Each individual culture has certain customs and courtesies that are important. Exposure to the cultures of others can be intimidating and can leave a person feeling confused and unsure about how they fit in (Schaefer 60). Culture shock can leave a person feeling out of place in an unfamiliar culture (Schaefer 60). Our diverse societies demand understanding and acceptance of other cultures. Learning and understanding these cultures before being
The transfer of knowledge in an intercultural environment has been very valuable for me. The exchange with people from different cultures challenged me to change my perspective
I feel that this will be a fantastic opportunity to expand my knowledge about this cultural
In our society today, culture is not what it used to be hundreds of years ago. There is no more “pure” culture. Our culture today is enriched with many different traditions and customs that are being shared and adopted. Due to emigration and immigration, a variety of diverse customs, beliefs, and knowledge moved with every exiting and entering human being. Thus, changing and shaping the culture of many. Throughout the world, the beliefs and religious views of culture are dissimilar around the world. By taking the time to read, listen and learn about certain people’s culture, there will be knowledge and understanding that will be gained.
yourself as a guest in another culture, getting the chance to see how others live. “Dress codes,
As I stepped into the church, I already felt a warm, welcoming feeling. A couple of the members of the church were at the door to greet one another to point us in the direction of where the worship would take place. From there, I had to dip my hands in the holy water and make a cross over my, which was blessed
Can you imagine being born in one culture and learning all of their beliefs, and then coming to the United States where you had to begin a whole new life with new customs and traditions different from the ones you had already learned? I cannot possibly imagine how it would feel to be an outsider learning and trying to comprehend what a new culture does. To understand how this must feel, I interviewed a man that has been close to me basically my whole life. Interviewing my pediatrician I have had for the past twenty years really had an impact on me. I had not understood exactly what consisted of another culture until interviewing, especially his culture in which I never thought of. Learning and interviewing a different culture helped me see some very important things, one being how every culture has their own specific characteristics that make up how their culture is unique, and the other, comparing and contrasting it to our own, American culture.
Going outside of one’s own culture can be very eye-opening to a person. Although it is sometimes difficult to see through the perspective of someone else, it is vital in being able to communicate with people around the world. I have taken two mission trips to Kenya, Africa during the summer with my church group. Because of this trip, I became more aware of the differences there were in culture and just how many cultures I was missing out on. I believe that all cultures should become more aware of at least one other culture to compare and contrast the two because each culture could learn something from another. I have found the most important characteristics of this culture and would like to share the interests that this culture has brought to my attention.
One of the first things that mesmerized me was the actual church building itself. The structure of the Church was breathtaking. I was unsure of where to enter because of how big the building was so, I followed behind a family. Upon entering, I was in awe with the inside of the cathedral. Visually, I noticed the candles on my left hand side and the hard-to-miss statue in the center of the church displaying Jesus the Christ on the cross. As I sat down, I noticed the variety of different people attending this service. The majority of the church was filled with seniors, parents, and their children. The environment was more relaxed than I was expecting, as half way through the service, a child began to cry and no one seemed to be annoyed because of this. The service was held entirely in French and, as I do not speak French, I had a pamphlet that guided me through the hour.