Jenna- CP#2

Date/Time: 1/21/2016, 1:00-1:50 PM

Location: Student Lounge at the Hecht House

Topic discussed: The theme of this culture workshop was the topic of culture and specifically the idea that some aspects of culture are felt with our senses and are "above the surface of the iceberg", while others affect our daily lives but are not directly felt through senses and are "below the surface of the iceberg".

Cultural and/or linguistic topics you and your partner learned: I worked with a student from Vietnam and another student from Saudi Arabia and I learned how they viewed certain aspects of their culture such as clothing or concepts of time. Specifically, I learned that in Vietnam they generally keep their distance from people as when they meet others they do not shake hands or hug. While I learned different aspects of their cultures, I also shared aspects of my culture that they might feel living here. For instance, I shared with them how concepts of time are different in America depending on what you are attending. If you are going to a business meeting you should be early, but if you are going to a party you should be fashionably late. I think sometimes it is hard to be aware that what you might find normal, other people find unacceptable or odd and vice versa. Talking to other students about their cultural differences from my own makes me more aware of how I act around other people, and makes me want to increase my cultural sensitivity. For instance, instead of going straight for a handshake, maybe I should wait to see what the other person will do so I do not make them uncomfortable. Since I will hopefully be teaching Korean students, I will use my cultural sensitivity to research cultural Korean customs and be aware that I might have to slightly adjust how I behave to fit the culture I live in.