Author: agordon8

Posted on

Final Blog

This summer experience definitely changed my understanding of the world. I realized that, yes, we all have cultural differences and some that run quite deep, but when it comes down to it we are more similar than different. We all have basic human desires that we want to fulfill and just have different ways of going about it. Sometimes I feel that the world focuses on the differences and disagreements between cultures so much that we lose sight of the fact that we all truly just want to live our life to the fullest. 

I also discovered that while I had a wonderful time in Germany, my version of living life to the fullest is better achieved in the States. Towards the end of my trip I missed some of the little comforts and things about life that home offers. This was important for me to discover because all of my life I have wondered if I would want to live and work overseas, but I think I can now confidently say that it is not something I would be interested in long term. 

I am so glad to have had the opportunity and experience to travel alone and truly do a solo trip, but I learned something about myself through this experience too that I wasn’t expecting. I need companionship. Next time I travel, I want to have someone to share the little moments with, eat at a restaurant with, take pictures with, etc. I can confidently say I am walking away from this summer with memories that I will never forget and new perspectives I will carry with me for the rest of my life, which is truly all I could have asked for!

Posted on

Analyzing Cultural Dimensions

I am not really a big fan of the country comparison tool or cultural dimensions in general. I think it overcomplicated my understanding of culture. I feel that during my time in Germany I was trying to get a holistic view of the culture, but by breaking it down into different categories and tendencies I actually feel a bit more confused. I also felt that the country comparison tool made such blatant and generalized statements as if they were fact, when in reality I encountered much different perspectives throughout my travels.

For instance, the indulgence category when comparing the United States and Germany. The US scored a 68 and Germany 40, so relatively opposite ends of the spectrum. Germany was described as a restrained culture that does not put much emphasis on leisure time and that does not indulge in their desires. I found quite the opposite though. I would say they had a much higher work life balance and were very good about leaving work at work and going home to enjoy family time. Whereas I feel that in the US it is often the case that we bring work home and work strenuous hours. Not saying that one is better than the other, but objectively disagreeing with the analysis made by the tool. However, I also did spend the majority of my time in southwest Germany, which could be vastly different from the likes of Berlin. Overall, I understand what the tool is trying to accomplish, but think it is very difficult to categorize and score and entire nation.

Posted on

DIVE reflection

The critical incident I will reflect on using the dive method happened the day after July 4th. As a preface to the incident, July 4th is my all time favorite holiday and I was a little upset to not be spending it in the states. To make up for this fact, I decided to celebrate the holiday as if I were in the states. I took the day off of school to BBQ by the lake, read, and relax listening to country music. Not quite the same as being home for the holiday, but I was content with the day. My teacher didn’t see it the same way.

Describe- I entered the classroom the next day and the teacher asked where I was the day before. I said that it was an important holiday for my country that I wanted to celebrate and described what I did to celebrate. He said back in a demeaning tone, “Oh yes it was your countries Independence Day, but that is absolutely not a good enough reason to miss school.”

Interpretation- In the moment I was very taken aback, angry, and defensive. I didn’t even have words to speak back because it was not the response I was expecting to get when I was simply describing to him the nice holiday I had.

Evaluation- After further evaluation, I realize that this interaction probably boils down to a stark cultural difference between Americans and Germans. As a generalization, I find that many Americans are proud to be American. Thus 4th of July is an important holiday that we highly value. On the other hand Germans are not openly prideful about being German (unless it is at a soccer match). I was able to verify this with my host family. They said that because of history most Germans do not show any pride about being German because it can be mistaken as supporting Nazi ideals. After having this explained to me, I can better understand why my teacher did not see my reason for not being in school as valid.

Posted on

Reconciling New Perspectives

As soon as I open my mouth here, people immediately know I am not a local just because of my accent and the first question is always where are you from. I’m proud to say the USA, which certainly plays into one heterostereotype I’ve heard which is “Americans are overly patriotic.” But whenever I ask someone about their perception of America, the first thing out of their mouth is always, “Americans are fat and only eat fast food.” The thing is most of the people I’ve met have never even been to America, so this statement must solely be based on tv shows, movies, and media.

While there certainly are Americans who fulfill this stereotype, I would argue that most countries have overweight people. But perhaps it is the fact that our big fast-food chains have gone global, like McDonalds, that other cultures are under the perception it is all Americans eat. I really haven’t enjoyed reflecting on this heterostereotype because as an athlete I highly value living a healthy lifestyle and truly believe that there are many Americans who are health-conscious. I think with any stereotype it exists for a reason and if you go looking for it in a culture you will certainly find it, but that doesn’t mean it holds true for everyone.