Describe your first memorable experience with a new culture?
My first experience
with a new culture was when I traveled to Sicily Italy on military orders. I
stated there for six months and I had the opportunity to sight see. My first
experience with the local market was a bit scary. Although I am from Puerto
Rico and we eat fresh chickens from my back yard, seeing a chicken hanging
headless and with no feather kind of freaked me out. I jumped so high that I
bumped in to a local lady who found my reaction hilarious. They were laughing
and talking in Italian about how much of a tourist I was. Later we went to the
stores right in the market and it smelled weird that I couldn't shop, I had to
run out of the store:), and everyone that knows me knows that I am a
shop-aholic. I also love shoes, and it was really hard to figure out our shoe
sizes in Italy, but with my Spanish we were able to figure it out. Now that I
sit back and think about my first encounter with a different culture I can
laugh about it. I had a blast at the market.
I on the other hand have yet to visit another country other than the Dominican Repulic, which is where my father is from. And after reading Marilyn's comment about visiting the market in Italy reminded me of my visit to a market in D.R. And it was quite an experience. I was about 7 or 8 at the time and being that my dad was from the Dominican Republic he would take us out and go cruising around the area, just sight seeing. And we came across this market where they sold many things from food to clothes, it was sort of like a flea market. I remember how different the prices were, because The Dominican Peso is the currency in Dominican Republic and I didn't know that at the time, so I would compare the prices to the U.S dollars and I would tell my mom how amazingly cheap everything was and she explained why. It was rather funny. Despite the fact that many years ago the Dominican Republic had suffered hard economic times, especially during my visit, but now it is getting better. Other than that, it is a beautiful country and the culture is amazing. A lot of people vacation there from time to time, visiting different exotic resorts on the Island. And being that I am half Puerto Rican (maternal side) and half Dominican, I often wonder how different the culture is, but it's not all that different. They are similar in ways, the only difference is the Dominicans have different names for certain things and Puerto Ricans have their own but at the end, its all the same. I am very proud to be both. Although living in the U.S you also get to discover many cultures from all around and that gives us the privilege to learn and understand different dialects inorder to communicate with others, which is a great way to get around especially if you're traveling to different countries. And others use it to help themselves find work and they're able to translate and communicate with those who can't. So basically it has its advantages.
ReplyDeleteDid you feel a bit lost when you visited there? or did you feel comfortable because the spoken language is also Spanish? I want to visit Dominican Republic. I heard is beautiful and the beaches are to die for.
DeleteI really haven't been to another country, but I have met people from different cultures and I stay in awe on some of the things I learn. I don't know how I would have reacted if I were a child, but @ the present time I think about how 'crazy is that' and' why that is' and I get explanations. I don't judge, but i do give my opinion, so they can know how my culture is as well. And that's how I believe we learn to become better people.
ReplyDeleteWould you love to learn about a culture prior of visiting it?
DeleteMy first experience with a different culture was the day I arrived to United States from Mexico. How different was the culture I was coming from from the one I had to adapt was not my biggest concern as much as the language. The neighborhood where my parents live in Brooklyn is populated by Russians, Chinese, Jews, and of course Hispanic people. I thought how cool it was that without even traveling to another continent, I was able to interact with people from other countries and different cultures. The interaction grew as I started using the train, and attending college. I was looking for a group to "fit in" so when I found out that there was a Latin Club, I quickly signed up for it. I realized that even thought we all spoke Spanish, our cultures were different too. Every country, every person has something unique and once all these differences are viewed as strengths and advantages then we have a multicultural success applicable to business, schools, military, etc.
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