Question 1:
In my view, I think culture is about a people’s way of thinking, their dressing code, their customs, their cultural values, their etiquette and the way they conduct their activities. Culture is about a group of people sharing a common interest, experiences and their worldviews. Actually, culture is something that is shared commonly, believed in and highly valued by a certain group of people. These commonly shared activities, behaviors, and beliefs are highly valued, appreciated, and is incorporated to be part of their daily lives of each and every member of the group. Everyone is expected to conform and exercise to these special events in order to fit into the group.
Question 2:
I was born and raised in California, United States of America. My parents being Americans, I was brought up under the American culture. Our neighborhood consisted of different types of people of all colors; black American, Mexicans, Spanish, and Asians. People from different religions live there. I come from a family that is very independent and private. It is a law-abiding family that follows the rule of law. Being the mandate for parents to take care and bring up children morally upright, my parents took care of me and always taught me the accepted morals of our society. According to our American culture, people are very independent, unique and always individualistic. Additionally, Americans value their privacy and also believe in freedom of choice. In American culture, they prefer having few children probably one or two.
In my school, I attended teenagers dress in weird clothes with strange body piercings and tattoos. Moreover, students like partying, prom parties and house parties are often organized. American students seem to be very organized and patient. When in queues, you would find students not pushing each other or rather standing close to one another in the line. They patiently way for their turn. Moreover, students were found to be rude and usually used inappropriate and abusive language. We mostly so informal such that we refer to other people with their nicknames.
It is a culture for the Americans in my neighborhood to give a tip between 15 to 20% of the bill for any excellent service offered. American people in my society have a good etiquette such that they are usually friendly, helpful and usually introduce themselves upon meeting with strangers or when offering services at their workplace. It is a culture that upon friends meeting at a restaurant, everyone pays their own bill or share the bill equally. Nonetheless, when guests visit your home, you should switch off the television or at least turn off the volume. Also, it is a culture that when American people meet they should greet each other while maintaining eye contact, keep a smile on their face and make a handshake.
With regards to identity, Americans in my community tend to speak faster while twanging. The Americans usually when starting a conversation, they tend to make a small talk then after a few questions, they tend to ask about what you do. Americans are careful and always keep in touch with their neighbors. Americans can be easily identified in my community based on how they keep time. They are good timekeepers. Moreover, Americans usually hire babysitters to take care of their children.
Question 3:
I happened to have attended a prom party that took place three blocks away from my home. The prom party was attended by people from different cultures. At first, people grouped according to the culture they belong. Later, people began to freely interact with each other regardless of the culture they belong to. The dance performance from various cultures made the event intercultural. I felt being uncomfortable being around some Chinese people who were rowdy, talked loud with an annoying accent.
When it came to communicating with the people if found it easy to communicate with various people in the party except for the Chinese. I tried talking with a couple of Chinese ladies but we could not effectively communicate since we could not understand each other. Chinese people in that party had a thick Chinese accent that I could not listen. The Chinese too could not apprehend what I was saying as they claimed that I talked fast. Moreover, I found these people annoying as they talked loud and tend to be making body contact that I view to be inappropriate according to my culture.
Generally, I had an assumption about the Chinese people to being the weirdest people on earth. I concluded that Chinese people are the most difficult people to hang out with and difficult to blend with them. After this encounter, I felt agitated. I came to understand that people are different and have varying cultures. In 2016, I attended an intercultural debate that was conducted to discuss cultures. In this event, the debate was conducted to discuss different culture with an aim of getting to understand appreciate various cultures. The debate took an active participative approach whereby each culture was represented. This forum was very important and effective since I was able to understand and appreciate different cultures. I got to learn that cultures are different and to ensure a successful intercultural encounter, one must have to stay cool, learn, understand and appreciate other cultures.