Week 6- Intercultural Interactions- Maureen Rooney

    Personally, I believe a person should be slightly guarded and polite when meeting a person from another culture. I believe this is because many cultures have different characteristics which makes everyone unique, as noted in Professor Vaughn’s novel. Therefore, a person does know what is socially acceptable in another culture unless they have had previous experience or have researched the culture. It is difficult to know how to act at times because a person does not know what new culture they will experience on a given day. This is because we have multiple spontaneous interactions with others because American is a “melting pot” of cultures. Therefore, it is best to act as yourself and in a polite manner, what your culture accepts as polite, when meeting a person from a different culture. This is because the other person will most like question how they should act as well.  

Because of my nature, I typically hug a person or greet them with a warm smile. I understand that this might be deemed as “inappropriate” to some, but it is part of my family culture’s influence on me. However, I make sure that I act respectful and considerate of the other person’s customs if I notice they appear uncomfortable by my personal interactions. I believe that I am culturally competent but I could improve and expand my knowledge. I know this because I went to a diverse high school with students from all around Cincinnati. 

However, the students were only from the local city. I have not had very many interactions and connections with people from outside of America. This is because I have never traveled out of the United States. Also, I have lived in the same house my whole life which is located in Ohio. Although America has many different cultures, many immigrants and minorities do not settle in Ohio as a place to live compared to California, New York or Texas. I plan to continue my education of other cultures and hopefully travel to another country in the near future.

I believe that immigrants feel intimidated by the people in the United States when they first come to America. Because of this, immigrants may try to adapt to the mainstream culture in the United States to “blend in”, leaving their old culture and customs in the shadows. A new citizen may not understand if it is appropriate to shake hands, begin their meal or even how interact with another person walking down the street. Therefore, even though the immigrant has a strong understanding of cultures in other countries, they may not be culturally competent in America if they have never traveled here before. “Cultural Competency is often viewed synonymously with cultural diversity, cultural sensitivity, and cultural awareness” (Vaughn 102). Thus, the immigrant could be in the same situation that I am in. They belong to and understand culture with the awareness of different types of customs that are present but have not had the opportunity to personally experience the culture. Sojourners can have a better understand of another culture because they are “temporary visitors to another country who eventually return their home country” (Vaughn 95). Even though many immigrants, and myself, have not had to opportunity to be sojourners, it does not prevent a person from being culturally competent. There are always opportunities to experience and learn about other societies right here in America, “the great melting pot.”