eNcounTer acTiviTy fOur***

After reading some of the other blogs (by Cattie, Amanda, and Channdra) I have some things I can compare.  For one, problems communicating were brought up always, in some form.  Paco knew English already, but still had problems understanding the slang.  Dr. Olasz also had problems with the idiom, and had to learn things like what a high-five meant.  I don't think we think about this enough.  Besides the language, there is A LOT of other stuff immigrants must learn. Mafo had problems communicating with Amanda too.  Paco said that a lot of Hispanics seem invisible and get mistreated because of their race, and Dr. Olasz got treated like less for being Hungarian.  The culture was also a big thing that came up.  Paco, from Mexico City, was surprised to see senior citizens behind the wheel.  Luo, from Ouzhou, China, was surprised to see that pedestrians had the right away and that people were so friendly.

There was also a lot that was different between these people.  Paco knew English when he came to America because he had taught it in Mexico.  Mafo, who was African but spoke French, knew little about the language (English) and about things like driving.  Paco teaches Spanish in America and is trusted in that because it is his native language.  Dr. Olasz taught U.S. History, and students were skeptical because she was Hungarian.  Paco said the translations from Spanish to English lose there meaning sometimes, and Luo said it really depends of the company doing the translation, that sometimes translation from Chinese to English stays intact.

Everyone had something they wanted America to know about their culture.  Paco wanted people to realize their stereotypes about Hispanics.  Dr. Olasz wanted Americans to know that Hungarians are not Slavic.  Mafo wanted us to value everything we have, because not everyone in Africa is so fortunate.  Luo wants people to realize that there are the same things in China that we have in America.  It's not so different. If I had to sum up all of my findings, I would say that no matter what, there are going to be difficulties.  It doesn't matter how educated you are in the language.  You will still need to learn the culture.  And like Paco told me, you can't do that without going over and living it. 

Let the peoples' voice be heard! From this exercise I have learned that people from different cultures really long for us to understand their culture.  The problem is, people are so rapped up in their own lives we often don't stop to smell the roses.  Or listen to what people have to say.  Or more importantly, understand how they feel.  That stuff takes time, and unfortunately America is on a tight schedule.  That's why we need classes like one this to educate us about other cultures.


Until next time,

Keri Jo