Blog I
I am originally from Japan, born and raised, up until I was eleven which was when I moved to Germany. Growing up I have been raised with a mixture of two separate cultures, one being the more conservative Japanese culture and the other a more liberal “western” culture. Not only did living in Germany have a big influence on me, but the fact that my step-father was German has taught me how to be more perceptive of different types of cultures. In addition, I also attended an International School in Munich where I made friends with people from all over the world and had an opportunity to share and learn about the wide variety of cultures that existed in the world. My childhood also included a lot of traveling throughout Europe and the U.S. I have come to realize that in order to see the reason behind why a particular culture exists, and to understand its significance I need to be open minded and respectful of differences. Some cultures I have found to be rather peculiar and some totally opposing what I would believe in, however, my exposure to all kinds of people and culture has taught me to be less judgmental and much more respectful and accepting.
Coming to Wheaton was a slightly different experience for me mentally and socially. Even though I did come from Germany, a country that is rather developed and “westernized” as we would say, the American culture to me seemed to take the idea of liberalism and freedom to a whole another level. I have experienced much more cross-cultural encounters being here than I have ever experienced in my life thus far.
Some cross-cultural experiences have struck me more than others, some have made big impressions in my life and others may have just been by-gone. However, the ones that have stayed with me will always remain vivid in my mind. I would like to examine one such cross-cultural encounter that I have had with my friends from Bhutan. Having never heard about the country, I had nothing to base what their culture might seem like. Certain things my friends did seemed to me a bit unusual but when I questioned after their behavior, they talked about it as being a norm within their culture. Much of what they do is related to their religion, Buddhism. The religion has played a key role in determining a lot of their actions and what they would consider to be significant to their home culture. What I am particularly interested in is the behaviors of Bhutanese people and examining where they arise from; whether it is a scared or a secular ritual.
Coming to Wheaton was a slightly different experience for me mentally and socially. Even though I did come from Germany, a country that is rather developed and “westernized” as we would say, the American culture to me seemed to take the idea of liberalism and freedom to a whole another level. I have experienced much more cross-cultural encounters being here than I have ever experienced in my life thus far.
Some cross-cultural experiences have struck me more than others, some have made big impressions in my life and others may have just been by-gone. However, the ones that have stayed with me will always remain vivid in my mind. I would like to examine one such cross-cultural encounter that I have had with my friends from Bhutan. Having never heard about the country, I had nothing to base what their culture might seem like. Certain things my friends did seemed to me a bit unusual but when I questioned after their behavior, they talked about it as being a norm within their culture. Much of what they do is related to their religion, Buddhism. The religion has played a key role in determining a lot of their actions and what they would consider to be significant to their home culture. What I am particularly interested in is the behaviors of Bhutanese people and examining where they arise from; whether it is a scared or a secular ritual.
