1st Assignment, define your culture... my culture is identified not by what i do , but what i don’t do. I won’t try and control a conversation. I feel weird constructing sentences around I..I.... Im interested in other cultures, more so than my own. And at the end of the day, I often contradict myself.
I believe we’re softer spoken than our neighbors, less confrontational, socially frigid before drinks, and despite everything we still manage to get the job done. At the end of the day we’re just that; Cocky. Just more subtle about it. We do define ourselves different from Americans, but in a lot of aspects theres no difference; Your girlfriend probably needs a new phone, despite the fact that right now she has a fully functional internet-accessible blackberry. And your boyfriend probably feel like he should be at the gym right NOW because his pump has worn off, our he just feels scrawny in general.
Hey David!
ReplyDeleteIs the picture where you are living? Don't worry about your English. This is a good opportunity to work on it and indeed some of your thoughts are well developed.
It is interesting how your own culture is more easily defined when contrasted with another. I was over the border this past weekend and definitely found our American cousins to be more aggressive. There was a certain look manifested in the fashion, auto choice and "don't mess with me" grimace on the faces that said back off. They are also really big on the up sell. Though I repeated often that I had blown the budget, I was encouraged to spend more for any number of reasons.
Your thoughts on starting a sentence with the word "I" are good ones. We are as a group of people quite modest. As someone who interviews a lot of people and forces them to speak about themselves, you can feel the level of discomfort.
Pura vida!
This was actually a really good post. I also like how you said that we appreciate our own culture and define it more, when we see other cultures.
ReplyDeleteAnd the guy goes to the gym because he feels scrawny...
Hi David! Loved how you said your culture is defined by what you don't do. That's a really interesting perspective. Thought provoking.... I like that.
ReplyDelete