Caitlin CP #1

Date/Time: January 21, 2016, 1-2pm (Cultural Workshop)
Location: CIES Lounge

1) What did you learn and share with your conversation partner(s)?

In today's Culture Workshop, we discussed what parts of culture can been observed and what parts of culture are harder to see from the outside; parts that really only those in the culture know and understand. I spoke with someone from Kuwait and someone from Vietnam. I really didn't know about either culture very well so I learned a lot about each respective culture. I was surprised how strict Vietnam's schools are about dress codes even in higher education and learned that in Kuwait, tables are not used to eat dinner. I also shared with my group how Americans usually expect timeliness and how the ideas of modesty having been changing throughout the last few years.

2) How did the CP session inform your awareness of other cultures?

This session really reminded me that we have to be aware of the cultures of the people around us and how important it is to have patience when meeting and working with others from cultures different from our own. It also served as a great reminder to ask about the culture they come from especially  if there is a problem between the two of you. Does the person show up late everyday? Maybe their culture believes being early is rude. Do they avoid eye contact? Maybe making eye contact with others is seen as aggressive in their home country. Just a simple question about the traditions and customs of the person's country could give you a wealth of information that can help you to create an understanding that bridges the gap between what is accepted and expected in American culture and what is socially acceptable in other cultures. 

3) How did the CP session inform your awareness of your culture?

The session really made me think about why American culture expects certain things that I had never spend the time to think about before. It also made me realize just how free we are socially speaking with our clothing, our school regulations, and manners towards strangers. Maybe because our culture is a conglomerate of many different cultural traditions no one custom has been able to ingrain itself deeply in our society. I definitely want to look up some of the reasons for why we do certain things such as why people give each other flowers after a fight or why we don't have a specific order in which family or guests eat in during meals here in America. 

4) How could you apply what you learned to your teaching practice?

I absolutely want to apply what I learned today into my teaching practice in the future. I will need to remember that my students come from a different culture and that sometimes I will have to explain why I want things done in a certain way such as why I would want them to work in small groups or why I would want them to raise their hands to answer questions (in a more formal classroom setting). I also need to make sure that I remember to be patient as some of the customs that we perform everyday are so ingrained in us, it can be difficult to change them just for a class period or they relate to another cultural aspect much bigger than just a habit like religion or family values.