2/04/21; Week 05; Response to Cross-Cultural Communication

 Culture is a word for the 'way of life' of groups of people, meaning the way they do things...  simple.m.wikipedia.org

It is interesting to think that there are thousands of different cultures in the world. How do we find acceptance, understanding, and tolerance for other cultures?

I do not necessarily have the answer to this question. However, I have concluded that culture is represented mainly by exterior traits. For example, think of all the nations around the world. In many cultures, people still wear their traditional attire. There is a variety of food in every region. More than 7,000 languages and dialects exist today. Even body language differs from country to country. But one thing we all have in common is that we are all human. As humans, we have one common culture, the natural disposition to do good. Inconsequential the language we speak, how we dress, or how we do things, we all can find a way to build bridges and fill the gaps.

I was born in one country and grew up in another one. I know that along the way, I have mixed two cultures in one. But I like to think that I have adopted the best attributes from each of these beautiful traditions.

I understand how sometimes we can misinterpret each other. My children were born and raised in Canada. I was born in Mexico and lived there until I was 15 years old. One day my oldest daughter had a party in our home with her school friends. She was 12 years old at the time. She decorated the family room with balloons, made some treats for her girlfriends, and had some music. She made sure her little brothers and sisters were in their rooms coloring books and playing with their toys. In the middle of the party, I decided to go and say hello to all her friends. I took a glass of pop and sat down to watch the girls dancing and having fun. My daughter came to me and asked me to leave because this was her party. I was confused and hurt. In Mexico, parents join their children's parties.

Experiencing cross-cultural differences in your own family can be upsetting if you do not understand it. Looking back in time at this experience, it becomes comical in a sense because now I comprehend what I did.

As an ESL teacher, I know I will encounter cultural challenges. But I am willing to be open-minded and apply my personal experiences to allow my future students to be different and think differently from me.

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