I like to think I'm clever. The Postal Service is a band I quite enjoy and while typing "Post Service", it made me think of them! They have a song called "Such Great Heights" and I think that this project along with the entire course, has brought my cultural competence and awareness to a greater height. And for that I am grateful.
Throughout my journey, I saw a family grow and experience a different culture firsthand. I saw them struggle to learn a new language and jump for joy when they got an answer correct. Overall, I think that Suk Maya's son will help her more than any ESL teacher will. I believe that because of their collectivist nature, they will want to work tightly together in order to achieve success together because if the whole community/family doesn't succeed, then they can't succeed individually. Does that make sense? Based on other experiences with immigrants, it's apparent that the adaptation to a new culture is easier the younger you are. I believe (and hope!) that Suk Maya's son as well as his friends will achieve acculturation in a few years. However, Suk Maya has less exposure to the American culture compared to them. I hope she is also able to acculturate, but my prediction is that she will segregate or separate herself. A common observation in immigrating families I've seen is that the children are proficient in English and go onto higher education while the parents still only know the native language. This is true for my project partner, Amy. Her mother does not know English but Amy does. She serves as a translator for her mother whenever she is home. Amy is enrolled in a higher education institution and is successful. My friend Dorothy is first generation from Poland. Her parents speak very little English and depend on her in many situations. Dorothy loves her Polish heritage and works it into her everyday life. She is studying to be a vet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Suk Maya's lack of motivation to learn more English is a common theme I saw nearly every time I visited. And yet, the children have been here for the same amount of time and have a better control of the language. During every visit, I saw elements of their collectivistic culture. They all supported and encouraged each other very often. In the future, I will definitely think differently about immigrants. I will look deeper into their past. Why did they choose to move here? How are they adjusting to life here? I simply cannot imagine picking up everything and leaving the country. I have no idea how to live anywhere else. I'm sure I'll earn, but it will be even more difficult if there is a language barrier.
In my future interpersonal interactions, I will take into account that everyone has different experiences and worldviews. This will help me understand others better during intercultural communication. I learned something along the same lines in my lifespan development psychology course last semester. When looking at a person, don't stop at the cover. Yes, it's a cliche, but it's true! You can't determine why someone is acting the way they are based on a few interactions with them. It would be beneficial to know what has happened to them during their entire lifespan because all of these things matter. In the same way, you can't base someone off of prejudgments. If I saw the Tamangs out and about and didn't know them, I would never have guess they were from Nepal. That's how little I knew about their country before this project. It's astounding, isn't it?
Like I said, this project and course has taught me so many new things. It has not only taught me how to effectively communicate but also why it's so dang important to know how! In the future, I hope to keep volunteering with World Relief in order to submerge myself in many other cultures.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
A Parallel Universe
"A parallel universe or alternate reality is a hypothetical or fictional self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own."
That is how I feel about collectivistic cultures versus individualistic cultures. An individualistic culture is all I've known to be my reality, however, the older I've gotten, my worldview has broadened. I've discovered a whole new reality in which people work together, depend on each other, care about each other, and promote selflessness. Now don't get me wrong, I don't not care about people. I absolutely care about my family, friends, and people outside of those groups like marginalized groups or children around the world that don't have access to clean water. I care, I donate money, I volunteer, I support, etc etc etc. However, I know there are some aspects of my individualistic culture that I exhibit and that's just because that's how I grew up. But this "parallel universe" can very well help me understand even more about the world and the role I play in it.
Before starting my project, I did some light research on the Nepalese. I discovered that they come from a collectivistic culture, the country itself has a higher disease prevalence than other South Asian countries, and some of their history and how it effects their people today. From day 1, I was able to see their collectivistic nature. Suk Maya's son helped her with whatever she needed. If he got himself a drink, he would make sure his mother had one, and even us! He has supported her learning English by helping her practice from time to time. Additionally, when we met the family friends, we saw this emphasized even more. The families would help each other any way they can, they spend a lot of time together, and oftentimes the grandfather would speak for the family as a whole. He would say things like "we are enjoying going to class" or "we think you guys are good teachers" even if he didn't ask his wife if she agreed with this first. Recently, I told the grandpa that his English was improving and that I was impressed and he brushed it off. He did not care so much about his success, but more about the success of a family as a whole.
Additionally, I wonder if the reason they are more close knit is due to their culture or because they are in a new place and like to stick together because they don't know anyone else. Perhaps it's a mixture of both of those factors.
I wish I had some aspects of their culture. My relationship with some of my family members is not the greatest and I admire their unity and selflessness. Based on my experiences with them, I will make an attempt to encourage the group as a whole rather than singling out just one person. In order to respect them, I will avoid blunt honesty and sensitive issues. I've been doing that already, but now that I have a general idea, I can work on it even more. I've also noticed that it's taken them a bit to warm up to us, which is understandable since I know that collectivistic cultures tend to have fewer interpersonal relationships but have stable, long-lasting ones when they do have some. I'm not sure if they know that we're not always going to be coming over. So I believe that will play a role in my future interactions with them.
Note: I said general! Generally, individuals from Nepal are collectivistic. I can't make any assumptions without observing or even asking some questions. I think that's important to note because I can't pretend I have the answers to everything, even if I sometimes want to :)
That is how I feel about collectivistic cultures versus individualistic cultures. An individualistic culture is all I've known to be my reality, however, the older I've gotten, my worldview has broadened. I've discovered a whole new reality in which people work together, depend on each other, care about each other, and promote selflessness. Now don't get me wrong, I don't not care about people. I absolutely care about my family, friends, and people outside of those groups like marginalized groups or children around the world that don't have access to clean water. I care, I donate money, I volunteer, I support, etc etc etc. However, I know there are some aspects of my individualistic culture that I exhibit and that's just because that's how I grew up. But this "parallel universe" can very well help me understand even more about the world and the role I play in it.
Before starting my project, I did some light research on the Nepalese. I discovered that they come from a collectivistic culture, the country itself has a higher disease prevalence than other South Asian countries, and some of their history and how it effects their people today. From day 1, I was able to see their collectivistic nature. Suk Maya's son helped her with whatever she needed. If he got himself a drink, he would make sure his mother had one, and even us! He has supported her learning English by helping her practice from time to time. Additionally, when we met the family friends, we saw this emphasized even more. The families would help each other any way they can, they spend a lot of time together, and oftentimes the grandfather would speak for the family as a whole. He would say things like "we are enjoying going to class" or "we think you guys are good teachers" even if he didn't ask his wife if she agreed with this first. Recently, I told the grandpa that his English was improving and that I was impressed and he brushed it off. He did not care so much about his success, but more about the success of a family as a whole.
Additionally, I wonder if the reason they are more close knit is due to their culture or because they are in a new place and like to stick together because they don't know anyone else. Perhaps it's a mixture of both of those factors.
I wish I had some aspects of their culture. My relationship with some of my family members is not the greatest and I admire their unity and selflessness. Based on my experiences with them, I will make an attempt to encourage the group as a whole rather than singling out just one person. In order to respect them, I will avoid blunt honesty and sensitive issues. I've been doing that already, but now that I have a general idea, I can work on it even more. I've also noticed that it's taken them a bit to warm up to us, which is understandable since I know that collectivistic cultures tend to have fewer interpersonal relationships but have stable, long-lasting ones when they do have some. I'm not sure if they know that we're not always going to be coming over. So I believe that will play a role in my future interactions with them.
Note: I said general! Generally, individuals from Nepal are collectivistic. I can't make any assumptions without observing or even asking some questions. I think that's important to note because I can't pretend I have the answers to everything, even if I sometimes want to :)
Acculturation = Success!
So let me catch everyone up. I am not good with keeping up with this blog so there are some blanks that I need to fill. The family I am working with are the Tamangs. I work with Suk Maya closely (the mother) than I do with her son. My partner Amy and I have been going over to their apartment and helping Suk Maya with her English.
About three weeks ago, we discovered that our family had moved to Rock Island. We were happy for them for a number of reasons because the building is in better condition and they were closer to many other Nepalese families. I'm not sure of their names, but we met a family of a mother, grandpa, grandma, and three grandsons. Since then, we've had sessions with the grandpa and Suk Maya.
I often think about how my family interacts with the outside world. How do people on the bus see them? The grocery store? If I didn't know them, how would I see them? What assumptions do people make about the Tamangs? I've been thinking about whether they will eventually assimilate to the American culture or if perhaps they will acculturate.
Assimilation is when an individual takes on all aspects of the new culture whereas acculturation is when an individual retains culture but adapts some aspects of the new culture. I believe that the grandchildren and members of the younger generation will experience one of these two phenomena. However, I do believe that Suk Maya might experience separation. This happens when a person does not want a relationship with another culture and wants to retain characteristics.
Now, I could be 100% wrong and I hope I am! I really want my family to be accepted here and I really want them to feel like Iowa could be their new home. However, there are many factors at play.
Due to the fact that the children are younger than their parents (obviously) it's a lot easier for them to pick up on a new language. The grandsons' English was so damn near close to perfect. You could hear their accent only slightly and they were communicating fantastically. The youngest one was telling jokes and drinking Mountain Dew the entire two hours. He was a hoot!
Side note: The Nepalese LOVE Mountain dew.
The middle child is the one that we talked to the most. He served as a translator and we talked about what Amy and I do as college students and what he does in middle school. These children are younger and they are around English speakers for 8 hours out of the day. Their learning and success in school depends on them learning English and being able to communicate with peers and teachers. My hope for them is that they keep their unique cultural identity alive and not assimilate to the American culture. I know the saying goes "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", but who cares about the Romans! Their empire crashed and burned anyway. America is a melting pot and they add such rich experiences to it.
Now as for the adults, acculturation is a little more difficult. Older minds have a harder time learning new languages and unfortunately, mastery of the dominant language is power. They miss out on so much just because of the language barrier. Before a few weeks ago, I didn't even know that Suk Maya went to an actual ESL class. She know some words but often forgets the new ones we teach her because she doesn't practice in between visits. The grandpa's English is improving and I think Suk Maya is perhaps just lacking motivation. And I don't blame her at all! The English language is the most difficult one to learn. We have rules that we don't ever follow and patterns that don't seem to make sense....ever. Her self-esteem must be effected and is therefore getting in the way of her learning more English. I feel like due to these factors, she might want to separate herself from the American culture. She spent her entire life in Nepal and had to move to America unexpectedly. She misses the rest of her family that is still there. And although she came here is a refugee, her life before the hardship was one that she was used to and is all that she knows. Living in a strange place, with strange people, without some family members, I know she is utterly homesick.
Hopefully our future visits with her will help her learn more. I don't want her to assimilate, but acculturating will help her improve her quality of life. She won't feel isolated or down, but instead she can live a happier life here. I've learned that the children and adults are experiencing things differently and this effects how they communicate with me. In the future, I will encourage Suk Maya more and hopefully try to help her with any difficulties she is experiencing.
About three weeks ago, we discovered that our family had moved to Rock Island. We were happy for them for a number of reasons because the building is in better condition and they were closer to many other Nepalese families. I'm not sure of their names, but we met a family of a mother, grandpa, grandma, and three grandsons. Since then, we've had sessions with the grandpa and Suk Maya.
I often think about how my family interacts with the outside world. How do people on the bus see them? The grocery store? If I didn't know them, how would I see them? What assumptions do people make about the Tamangs? I've been thinking about whether they will eventually assimilate to the American culture or if perhaps they will acculturate.
Assimilation is when an individual takes on all aspects of the new culture whereas acculturation is when an individual retains culture but adapts some aspects of the new culture. I believe that the grandchildren and members of the younger generation will experience one of these two phenomena. However, I do believe that Suk Maya might experience separation. This happens when a person does not want a relationship with another culture and wants to retain characteristics.
Now, I could be 100% wrong and I hope I am! I really want my family to be accepted here and I really want them to feel like Iowa could be their new home. However, there are many factors at play.
Due to the fact that the children are younger than their parents (obviously) it's a lot easier for them to pick up on a new language. The grandsons' English was so damn near close to perfect. You could hear their accent only slightly and they were communicating fantastically. The youngest one was telling jokes and drinking Mountain Dew the entire two hours. He was a hoot!
Side note: The Nepalese LOVE Mountain dew.
The middle child is the one that we talked to the most. He served as a translator and we talked about what Amy and I do as college students and what he does in middle school. These children are younger and they are around English speakers for 8 hours out of the day. Their learning and success in school depends on them learning English and being able to communicate with peers and teachers. My hope for them is that they keep their unique cultural identity alive and not assimilate to the American culture. I know the saying goes "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", but who cares about the Romans! Their empire crashed and burned anyway. America is a melting pot and they add such rich experiences to it.
Now as for the adults, acculturation is a little more difficult. Older minds have a harder time learning new languages and unfortunately, mastery of the dominant language is power. They miss out on so much just because of the language barrier. Before a few weeks ago, I didn't even know that Suk Maya went to an actual ESL class. She know some words but often forgets the new ones we teach her because she doesn't practice in between visits. The grandpa's English is improving and I think Suk Maya is perhaps just lacking motivation. And I don't blame her at all! The English language is the most difficult one to learn. We have rules that we don't ever follow and patterns that don't seem to make sense....ever. Her self-esteem must be effected and is therefore getting in the way of her learning more English. I feel like due to these factors, she might want to separate herself from the American culture. She spent her entire life in Nepal and had to move to America unexpectedly. She misses the rest of her family that is still there. And although she came here is a refugee, her life before the hardship was one that she was used to and is all that she knows. Living in a strange place, with strange people, without some family members, I know she is utterly homesick.
Hopefully our future visits with her will help her learn more. I don't want her to assimilate, but acculturating will help her improve her quality of life. She won't feel isolated or down, but instead she can live a happier life here. I've learned that the children and adults are experiencing things differently and this effects how they communicate with me. In the future, I will encourage Suk Maya more and hopefully try to help her with any difficulties she is experiencing.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Do you know what an octopus is?
On Thursday, Amy (my project partner) and I visited with our family for two hours.We are teaching the mother how to read and she has one son. During the visit, I thought about the boy's father. Was he still alive? Were they married? Was he okay? I brought several children's books with me to help her learn some simple English words. I have never tried to teach someone English so I really had no idea how to get started. I know that TV is really suppose to help non-English speakers learn, however they don't have one. Whenever we would point to an object, she would take a few long seconds and think about the word in Nepalese. After she would tell us the word in Nepalese, we would give her the English counterpart.
She remembered a few words from what Amy taught her last week. This week, we were focusing on colors. She had a very hard time remember the word white. We could tell her "white" and then five minutes later, we would ask her again and she wouldn't know the word. After we finished with the books, she took us on a tour of the apartment and we taught her words along the way. I also noticed that for some objects in the books, she wouldn't know what they were. The one that stood out to me the most was an octopus. She knew what kites, cars, carrots, and cakes were, but she didn't know what an octopus was. I kept thinking over and over again about this. Why did I know what an octopus was? Why didn't she know? I remembered a story my dad told me once. Around the age of five, my mom had asked me to do several chores like clean up my toys, brush my teeth, change my clothes, etc. After she gave me the list of stuff to do, I turned to my dad and asked "how many arms does an octopus have?" He answered me by saying eight to which I replied, "wow, I wish I was an octopus too." This woman was around the age of late 30s-early forties and yet I knew what an octopus was at age 5. This isn't a sad thought now that I am thinking about it. It just means she hasn't any type of experience with octopuses and I probably saw one in a children's book similar to the one I showed her. This woman has dozens of more experiences than I do because a) she's older b) her life is completely different and c) even her culture played a large part.
For future interactions, I am going to look up a few words in Nepalese in order to overcome the language barrier. I am fortunate enough to have the resources to do so whereas she doesn't. I worry about my family's future. Amy and I only come for an hour or two hours a week and help her with her English. By next week, she might have forgotten a lot of words and we will have to start from scratch again.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Pre-Service Jitters!
I have never interacted or talked to a refugee before so I'm a little nervous to start my project. Many of the people I am going to be working with have lived in a refugee camp and under very harsh conditions. I have never experienced and will most likely never experience anything quite like that. My hope is to learn humility and not to take anything for granted, like I so often do.
World Relief is a fantastic organization and I am excited to be working with them. My assumption about my site is that I will be working with a family who doesn't speak very much English. I am worried about the language barrier but Kelly from world relief said that everyone is nervous before starting. I know I will be interacting directly with a family and I could be just hanging out with them or helping them learn English.
The population World Relief is currently serving are refugees of war from various countries. I believe they are currently helping immigrants from Nepal, Burma, and Bhutan. I greatly enjoy volunteer work because it gives me a chance to help someone who really needs it. I enjoy spending my resources like my time and money because I know I could potentially make someone's life better. That feeling is amazing and I'm hoping this blog and service will encourage others as well. I am involved in the multicultural group on campus called MACA and I live in the diversity house. The mission for both of these student organizations is to celebrate diversity and to raise awareness. I am passionate about diversity and I am excited to plunge right into cultural diversity through this project.
World Relief is a fantastic organization and I am excited to be working with them. My assumption about my site is that I will be working with a family who doesn't speak very much English. I am worried about the language barrier but Kelly from world relief said that everyone is nervous before starting. I know I will be interacting directly with a family and I could be just hanging out with them or helping them learn English.
The population World Relief is currently serving are refugees of war from various countries. I believe they are currently helping immigrants from Nepal, Burma, and Bhutan. I greatly enjoy volunteer work because it gives me a chance to help someone who really needs it. I enjoy spending my resources like my time and money because I know I could potentially make someone's life better. That feeling is amazing and I'm hoping this blog and service will encourage others as well. I am involved in the multicultural group on campus called MACA and I live in the diversity house. The mission for both of these student organizations is to celebrate diversity and to raise awareness. I am passionate about diversity and I am excited to plunge right into cultural diversity through this project.
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