Assignment #4--The Cross Cultural Experience

During my time here, I have made several friends from different countries around the world. In the picture above is Aimee from Canada, Martina from Austria, Lucy from England, Nicole from Germany, and that's me on the end (US of course)! This has been my first experience living abroad, and I was honestly quite worried about making friends...Where would they be from? Would we have enough in common? It was quite a relief to learn that most 20-something year olds from several countries (the ones I've met at least) are pretty similar...at least similar enough to be able to relate. Of course there are the occasional things we have to explain to each other about our own cultures while we are telling stories and such...probably similar to what I would have to explain to an exchange student coming to live from abroad.

One of these things is football. There is always big confusion between American football, football, soccer, and rugby when I'm talking with my international friends. This is a good example of the difference in nomos, or the way cultures name different things. If you are going to be an exchange student at Clemson, you've got to know that "football" to us means American football (what everyone else calls it), which is sort of similar to rugby. Also, soccer is our name for the sport that the rest of the world actually calls football. They say this is more obvious because the game is played with the foot. I know it's confusing but these are very important to keep straight as sports are a pretty important part of the Clemson culture.

Sororities are another thing I've had to explain a hundred times since I've been here...even to my American friend (who went to a small Christian school in the north that didn't have them). Sometimes people will understand what a fraternity is and I can just say it's the female version of that. Sometimes I have to go into further detail...explaining that it is a group of girls who get recruited based on shared interests and people they know...who then perform community service and attend social functions together...eventially growing into close friends or "sisters" in a large network that can be a good source of contact for life. It's actually quite complicated when you think about it because there are so many different important elements. This would be considered an example of ethnos because we are a group that share visual (we have certain colors and symbols that represent us), oral (chants and cheers), and textual (sorority letters) meaning.

Moving down to my hometown, Charleston, there are a million more things left to explain about my people and culture. A good example of techne are the sweetgrass baskets you can find at the Slave Market and along the highways in rural Mount Pleasant and Awendaw. I actually brought my French host family a little sweetgrass basket when I got here to share a piece of my culture with them because I thought it was such a good representative. For those of you who don't already know, sweetgrass baskets are a traditional art form brought over by slaves from West Africa and have been passed among family members for generations. These baskets are handmade, and if done correctly, are supposed to be able to carry water! Now they have become more a piece of art or collectors item rather than used for utilitarian purposes, but they tell a story that is a really big part of the Charleston culture.

Mythos is cultural expression through stories, legends, or histories, that are part of the substance of the groups identity. Another thing I've found myself explaining a lot (whether it be to a friend or to try and scare the kiddies) is the ghost story culture in my town. Charleston is an old city rich in history (at least in comparison to the rest of our country) so there is obviously going to be a ghost tour market. My eighth grade english teacher, Ed Macy, actually writes books with another famous author, Geordie Buxton, so I've heard quite a few of the tales. Whether you believe them or not, the culture is quite important to the tourism industry in my town, so it's important to know about.

Last but not least, we have archon, which is learning about culture through the publicly displayed artifacts with cultural significance. If you look closely at the sign in this picture, it says "FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS EAT IMPORTED SHRIMP." I took this picture a few years ago in my grandparents hometown, McClellanville, SC, which is the location for the annual Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and the Blessing of The Fleet. I think it's a good example of the pride the Lowcountry takes in their cuisine, which happens to be particularly important to us! Haha call me a seafood snob, but I wouldn't even eat it when I was four hours from the coast in Clemson!

For more on my thoughts on Gerfsteed's Cultural Dimensions, see last week's post...I guess I kind of got ahead a bit.

Pictures Sources:
http://bradley.chattablogs.com/archives/2008/03/
http://kristenknits.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/41-days/
http://www.batterycarriagehouse.com/ghosts.htm

Assignment #3 Part II--Cultural Literacy

I really enjoyed this weeks videos! It was interesting to think about all the ways we stay/become culturally literate without even realizing what we're doing.


One of the biggest resources for improving one's cultural literacy is obviously the internet. Since I don't often watch the news on TV or read the paper, I started setting my homepage to CNN.com a few years back to keep myself up to date with current affairs. If I ever don't understand something I'm reading or want to know more on the subject, I "wiki" it. Hopefully this confession won't backfire as I glanced ahead in the readings and I'm pretty sure the next one is about Google "making us stupid", but I think Wikipedia is awesome. It's really taught me so much.


Another way I have become culturally literate is through my education. "As a consequence of the fact that we learn most easily when we attach the new to the old, people who already know a lot tend to learn new things faster and more easily than people who do not know very much." This sentence from the Hirsch excerpt really stuck with me because it reinforces the need for education and how important learning is in all aspects of life.


In my opinion, travel and experience is always the best way to educate yourself. Like a lot of people, I learn much better hands-on and retain the knowledge waaay longer than if I just read about it in a book or am "talked at" during a lecture. Take my french for example. I took french in high school and a few semesters when I first got to Clemson, but I basically had to start from the beginning when I got here! Pretty embarrassing to admit, but I think it's just because I didn't practice enough...or the language part of my brain just doesn't work (I'm starting to lean towards this theory). 


I think the language barrier is definitely the biggest obstacle to me becoming culturally literate in France. Unfortunately, I'm not able to practice here as much as I'd like since the main point of me being an au pair for my family is to teach the kids english. However, my french host family is still my greatest resource for cultural knowledge and I am asking new questions every day.

In this lesson I learned that cultural literacy can be highly valuable to anyone engaging in any kind of social interaction. Carrying on conversations with peers, catching onto cultural references in class, reading the newspaper, etc, are all examples of this. Understanding what is going on in the world around you enhances your ability to communicate and create bonds with people, thereby opening doors and opportunities and gaining you respect in the community.

Assignment #3 Part I--Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

*source http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

The first thing that caught my attention about Hofstede's graphs is that France scored higher than the European country averages in every category except Masculinity (MAS). France's score in this dimension was also exceptionally lower than the U.S. score. I found this to be really funny because there is such a stereotype about french guys, and (in reflection) I've actually discovered it to be kind of true. Just as a disclaimer, I really don't like stereotyping and making generalizations, but for a course like this I guess it's kind of inevitable. Anyways, back to the point...I have definitely concluded that it's more culturally acceptable for men to have effeminate qualities here in France. My french guy friends are a lot more open with their emotions and even have more "feminine" interests than guys back home. For example, there is less of an emphasis on sports and they pay a lot more attention to fashion and the arts. Obviously these are not the indicators Hofstede uses to calculate the country's business values, but I can see how an overall greater appreciation of feminine values in France could also translate to the workplace.

Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) is another category where the French stand in great contrast with the U.S. This is a population that is sans doute "set in their ways." The business attitude is very formal with lots of rules and regulations, and this also carries over into daily life. Just take a look at their rules for greeting one another...first of all, it's considered rude not to address someone "Bonjour/Au revoir, Madame/Monsieur" when you enter or exit a small store, and then there is the whole tu/vous distinction. Even differences in appearance among one another are avoided. This can be exemplified in clothing trends...everyone wears mostly black. I've actually heard that wearing really bright colors is considered offensive? I guess we'll see about that when Spring comes.

Individualism (IDV) refers to the strength of ties of people to the rest of the community. This means a high IDV score indicates there is not a strong sense of connection among the community. France scores higher in Individualism than the rest of Europe, but still lower than the U.S. This was a little surprising to me. However, I think my experience has been skewed by the fact that I lived in a small, southern town in the U.S. and one of the biggest cities in the world here in France. I am used to smiling and greeting almost everyone I cross paths with at home. Here that is simply just not done. On the other hand, there is a strong sense of respect for one another among french natives. 


The last dimension, and the one I have the least knowledge about, is Power/Distance (PDI). France scored higher in this index than the U.S. and other European countries, suggesting that the culture accepts the unequal division of power in the workplace. I haven't really had the opportunity to witness this firsthand but I'm wondering if this may have something to do with their tendency to avoid conflict (UAI)? Will try to find the answer...

Online Communities

I can remember being a high school senior and checking the mail every day after school to see if my new Clemson email address had arrived. I was DYING to get that letter so I could create an account on Facebook...the prestigious college-only club where I could meet all my soon-to-be Clemson friends before we got to school, scope out all the guys in the incoming freshman class, and stay connected with my friends from high school. Of course that was before everyone and their mom (literally) was allowed on. I think the cool factor has gone down a bit since then but it still serves the same purpose: communication.




Facebook was my introduction to online communities and is (sadly) still probably the website I frequent most often today. As stalkerish and addicting as it can be, it isn't really debatable that Facebook is one of the best social networking sights out there. I like it because it allows me (not exactly the most organized person in the world) to have all my "social affairs" in one place...pictures, chatting, messages. It's got everything you need in that respect. It makes it pretty easy for you to stay connected with friends, reconnect with old ones, and even meet some new people as well. I know I probably sound like I advertise for them right now, but it has really made my life easier since moving abroad.


It also wasn't until I came to France that I started becoming interested in blogs. I'm not particularly keen on writing...especially writing my thoughts knowing that multiple people are going to be reading them. I find that it takes me a long time and it honestly makes me a little anxious. However, I liked the idea of being able to mix the different "modes" of communication to relay my experiences in France to friends and family back home. Sooo I decided to start a blog when I got here! Of course it was really bad and I rarely wrote on it, but that's why I'm taking this class. To learn how to improve! Now if I could only figure out how to resize these photographs in iPhoto...

Bienvenue!

I know I already introduced myself in the discussion board but here's a quick recap: My name is Beverly and I am a senior from Charleston, South Carolina. Right now, I am working as an au pair in Paris for one year. For those of you who don't know what that is, I am basically a live-in nanny. I take french courses in the morning with other girls like myself and watch after five kids in the afternoon and evening. It's very different from a study abroad experience but I'm glad because it's almost like a total immersion in French culture. 

When I first read the course description for this class, I was like JACKPOT! Seriously, it could have been made for me. That's not to say I have an inkling of a clue what I'm doing---the course outline and introduction videos were definitely intimidating. However, being a Sociology major and a Communications minor, this is pretty much a mix of my two favorite subjects. I am particularly excited to learn about using multimodal communication on our blogs because I think it really enhances the virtual experience. It'll be a good business tool for us all to have in the future too I'm sure.

Traveling and learning about other cultures is one of my passions so I can't wait to see what everyone has to share about their experiences abroad! Now time to get started!