Katelyn_CP_IE_#4

On February 5th,  we had our fourth cultural workshop. I met my group, Shazia and Analy, and we started by quickly reviewing the topics from the last class, when we discussed if it was ok or not ok to do certain things in their home cultures. We talked about handling gifts, if it was acceptable to open it immediately or how to decline it, greeting a male stranger, and how to disagree politely with someone's points. We actually agreed on more things than I expected: in Pakistani, Puerto Rican and my own culture, we all give gifts in the same fashion, and we all look (but don't stare) at someone when we pay attention. However, there were a few differences: Shazia seems more about "group harmony," because she doesn't outwardly tell anyone that she disagrees with them, nor would she ever decline a gift. Even in the case of coffee (which she doesn't drink!) she said she would suffer politely and sip the coffee very very slowly, rather than saying "no thank you," as Amaly and I might. I thought this was very interesting, and made me evaluate if I'm being rude in some cases. Perhaps Americans are more selfish--we are a self-centered culture, I think--so I might take my comfort (not drinking something I don't want) above the giver's personal feelings (they're just trying to be nice). Obviously, though, none of us would turn down a present--we all agreed that was too much. The one main difference between Puetro Rican culture and Pakistani and American is opening gifts--Amaly would open it immediately, while Shazia and I would set it to the side to open alone later. In Puerto Rico, you want to make the person feel good; Shazia and I wouldn't want to offend someone through our tones or facial expressions of we didn't like something. I later found out this is not an "American" culture, but it's just something I do. Not all Americans think alike, which is a great thing about our nation, but it can be difficult to explain.
After, we watched a few other groups show their own examples. I learned Saudi women "check" their hands instead of shaking a man's hand, which still shows respect, and in China, you keep the older person's hand above your own when greeting.
Although there was a lot to talk about, I thought this lesson was very enlightening, and it made me think about my own beliefs and culture more, while learning about other countries.