Managing Differences

Now that we have had a deeper look at Colombia’s culture, lets answer a question: how easy or difficult do you think it would be to vacation in the country you have been studying for one to two weeks? I personally don’t think it would be too hard. As I said in my first blog post, I have a couple Colombian friends and have always enjoyed visiting them. I have visited Colombia a couple before for two weeks, and each time I have encountered culture shock. Some of the biggest ones were the normality of physical touch (Nonverbal Communication) in many situations and the prevalence of religious belief (Worldview). I was not used to meeting people for the first time and immediately hugging or kissing them on the cheek. While this is a common greeting in Colombia, it was not one I was used to. And although I myself am Christian, I am not particularly used to most everyone around me also being a part of a religious group. And, as I mentioned in blog post 3, Colombians are mainly catholic. If I were to live in Colombia for a year, I know there would be plenty more that would come up!

Some things I can do to help myself manage culture shock starting now is to do what I have been over the past months; learn about the culture I am going to be visiting. This is a great way to be prepared for what will or might come up. I can also learn about the language, something I am also doing currently. I have been studying Spanish for the last year, and while I am nowhere near able to hold a meaningful conversation, I have been enjoying learning more about how to communicate in and appreciate the language. And above all, I can stay vigilant in not becoming ethnocentric. None of us are perfect but paying attention to not automatically assume our way is better than everyone else’s is the best way to avoid culture shock when visiting another culture. 

Speaking of learning how to better value other cultures, as we learned in chapter 11 of our text, intercultural ethics are an important part of this. Things such as cultural relativism and universalism are important to keep in mind. Cultural relativism says that what is right can completely change from culture to culture, but both are equal. Cultural universalism states that there are certain rules that apply no matter what culture you are from. Some ways to make peace between these two opposing beliefs are realizing communication creates a response, respecting others, seek commonalities, recognize cultural differences, and be self-responsible. It is not always easy to communicate across cultures, especially when you don’t agree with those you are speaking to, but by keeping in mind these strategies, it is easier. I can start to internalize these ideas by paying attention to how I react, even to those from my own culture! I can start by looking for how I can improve in these aspects in my daily interactions with others. 

Putting this into practice concerning what we have been looking at all semester, Colombian culture, I can continue to talk with my Colombian friends, and I would love to visit Colombia again and to see them in person (I hope to do so next summer)! But in the meantime, continuing to communicate with them and others I meet is how I hope to put to use what I have learned. Thank you for coming on this journey with me!