I was at the mall earlier this week and decided to sit and do some "people watching". It's always so interesting this time of year. All kinds of people were walking around... some doing Christmas shopping and others seemed to be just walking laps. I sat down on a bench that had 3 others with it in a square around a huge potted tree. A couple of girls sat on the bench adjacent to me and I had fun listening to their teenage conversation! :) Four girls came walking towards us doing some shopping and I heard this comment from one of the teenage girls sitting near me: "Now those girls probably know how to play some good basketball!". I had to chuckle because I knew at that instant that I could use the comment somehow this week for our course. The girls that walked by and "probably know how to play some good basketball" were all tall (at least 5'11'' - 6'-something), African-American, and dressed in athletic clothing. Two of them wore sandals while the other two wore what did look like basketball sneakers. I have no idea if they play - we are in a college town and they very well could play for the team.
I found myself wondering if I would have thought the same about the tall girls that walked by had the teenagers not made any comments. I guess I'll never know!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Perspectives on Diversity and Culture
It was interesting asking people about their views on diversity and culture this week. Two people I talked to had similar definitions - that culture is more to do with food and holidays while diversity is the differences between people. Both of these persons gave examples of diversity as different races (in different words, but in general that's what they were saying!). These persons were both from a pretty conservative background and lifestyle in general. They still live in the small town that they were born and grew up in and I wasn't surprised by their definitions at all. So many aspects of both diversity and culture were omitted from these two person's definitions! They gave the stereotypical definitions.
The third person that I talked to was culturally different from myself in a few ways. His definition of culture was that it is everything around you that you consider normal. Like things that you take for granted and just assume that it's just the way it is for everyone until you travel or hear other people's stories and realize the differences that exist. Diversity was defined as the blending of different cultures. I found these definitions interesting and definitely different from others.
It was an interesting week as I considered surface and deep culture... but talking to people that I know and interact with on a regular basis was even more interesting.
The third person that I talked to was culturally different from myself in a few ways. His definition of culture was that it is everything around you that you consider normal. Like things that you take for granted and just assume that it's just the way it is for everyone until you travel or hear other people's stories and realize the differences that exist. Diversity was defined as the blending of different cultures. I found these definitions interesting and definitely different from others.
It was an interesting week as I considered surface and deep culture... but talking to people that I know and interact with on a regular basis was even more interesting.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
My Family Culture
Imagine the following:
A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.
Three items that I would take with me:
1. Bible - Our family is built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. Without Him we would be nothing. We hold the Bible very near and dear to our hearts and lives and recognize the importance of being in The Word on a daily basis.
2. Laptop Computer - Our computer holds almost every detail of our lives: medial records, financial records, important documents, family photos from the past 10+ years, recipes handed down from family that have gone on before us, genealogy information and documents, and the list goes on. Technology has really played a major role in our lives and is an easy way to store a lot of information that otherwise would take up a lot of space in the filing cabinet.
3. Family Item - I'm not entirely sure what my choice would be here. My husband and I both have many quilts and knick-knacks that have been handed down to us from our grandparents that represent our families. I think that I would have to be "in the moment" to choose which one really holds the most meaning and value. I would definitely grab one of these items though in hopes that we could hand them down to the next generation some day.
If I was told on arrival that I could only keep one personal item I would be devastated. All the items hold a lot of value and meaning. However, I would make the decision to keep our Bible as the other two items are material possessions that - in the end - won't really matter as much as God's Word.
As I considered items to take along I had to throw aside many ideas that came rushing to mind simply because the more I thought about it the more I realized that many of the items are things that can be bought all over the world. Cell phones, clothing, shoes, dishes, cameras.... they are all things that I could very easily replace no matter where I end up. Though many cultures are very different than my own, many devices are universal.
A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.
Three items that I would take with me:
1. Bible - Our family is built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. Without Him we would be nothing. We hold the Bible very near and dear to our hearts and lives and recognize the importance of being in The Word on a daily basis.
2. Laptop Computer - Our computer holds almost every detail of our lives: medial records, financial records, important documents, family photos from the past 10+ years, recipes handed down from family that have gone on before us, genealogy information and documents, and the list goes on. Technology has really played a major role in our lives and is an easy way to store a lot of information that otherwise would take up a lot of space in the filing cabinet.
3. Family Item - I'm not entirely sure what my choice would be here. My husband and I both have many quilts and knick-knacks that have been handed down to us from our grandparents that represent our families. I think that I would have to be "in the moment" to choose which one really holds the most meaning and value. I would definitely grab one of these items though in hopes that we could hand them down to the next generation some day.
If I was told on arrival that I could only keep one personal item I would be devastated. All the items hold a lot of value and meaning. However, I would make the decision to keep our Bible as the other two items are material possessions that - in the end - won't really matter as much as God's Word.
As I considered items to take along I had to throw aside many ideas that came rushing to mind simply because the more I thought about it the more I realized that many of the items are things that can be bought all over the world. Cell phones, clothing, shoes, dishes, cameras.... they are all things that I could very easily replace no matter where I end up. Though many cultures are very different than my own, many devices are universal.
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