CP Session #2 (1/22/2015)
I
greatly enjoyed my second session with Ramin’s listening class. I joined a
group with a Saudi man named Abdullah, a Colombian named Maria, and a Chinese
girl named Cici. Ramin presented a good conversation starter in the form of the
“cultural iceberg,” and got us started talking about whether certain cultural
traits were above the waterline or below.
The conversation was wonderful, and
everybody learned things that they hadn’t even thought about before. The issue
of child-raising, in particular, was a treasure trove of cultural differences
none of us had anticipated. We talked about when children were expected to move
away from their parents, or if they even were. We also talked about the number
of children that different cultures found acceptable, and whether or not
children are expected to follow in their parents’ footsteps as far as
occupation, or whether they are expected to find their own calling.
The iceberg was a great framework
for the discussion, and an important anchor to the discussion, but the list of
cultural features was what really kicked off conversation. I found myself
writing down holidays and customs that I had to research later. All in all, I
think everyone in the group found the class to be very rewarding and
enlightening.
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