A5:

A4:

A3:

I’m a firm believer that thanks to how my parents raised me, and the experiences I had growing up turned me into who I am today. this activity was really interesting for me. Typically when we are young and growing up, we believe we are nothing like our parents. That they don’t understand us, or don’t believe in the same things as we do. Come to find out when we’re older and reflecting, we tend to find out that we are very similar in our beliefs, values, and thinking. Out of the ten questions on the activity, there were only three that weren’t both my belief and my parents.

The first one was number two, “we cannot change our destiny”. Although the second part about being satisfied with who we are, and what we have at present is true for both my parents and I. I still believe we can change our destiny and improve upon ourselves. Being happy with what we have, as nothing to do with better ourselves to be the best version of yourself. The second discrepancy was about not back on our past mistakes. Although I believe we shouldn’t let our past mistakes dictate our lives, I do believe we should look to them to improve and move forward. How will we appreciate our present and look toward a future, if we don’t know and respect our past. I am who I because of the mistakes I’ve made in the past. I’ve grown and learned from those mistakes. The last discrepancy was about working efficiently over teamwork. Teamwork is important to me because we are human beings. We are limited and have weaknesses. Where I may lack in something a teammate could be stronger. Through teamwork I believe that is when we are most efficient.

I guess my own experiences in life, and the peers I’ve surrounded myself with would explain the discrepancies between my values and my parents. I noticed though that I wouldn’t disagree with the whole statement, rather just a part of the statement. I think that accounts for the fact I try and understand where my parents are coming from in their way of thinking. My family has always had a very open line of communication regarding our beliefs and values.

A2:

The country I chose to compare to the United States was South Korea. I’ve always been fascinated by other cultures, especially the Asian ones. Since my friend and I are planning a trip to South Korea next year I thought it would be interesting to see the comparison between the United States. When I saw the results I wasn’t really surprised since I know a little of the Asian culture from living overseas in Japan when younger.

Regarding power distance, both countries were pretty similar. The United States rated at a forty, while South Korea was at a sixty. This would make sense since Asian cultures focus on a hierarchy mentality. One person has more power than the other depending on their title. While in the states, we are taught to believe that we all hold power, and there is equality amongst people. This ties in with individualism amongst members of each culture. In Asian culture there is a huge focus on groups rather than the individual. You must bring honor to your family, and if you make a mistake it doesn’t just impact your image, it affects the entire family. Individualism in the United States is highly celebrated and encouraged, which would explain why it ranks at ninety-one compared to South Korea’s eighteen.

The last two areas; masculinity/femininity and uncertainty avoidance ranked like I thought they would. Asian culture tends to have more feminine males. They are about their appearance, and don’t hold to the same rules of masculinity as Americans do. Emotional roles in Asian culture can be seen by both parties; male and female. While in America, men tend to take on the more masculine role; almost like a caveman mindsight. They have a harder exterior, and dismiss emotions often. Females are the more emotionally intuitive in America. The last value of uncertainty avoidance makes sense as well. Asian culture is very traditional and set in their ways typically. They feel comfortable with what they already know, and don’t like the uncertainty of the unknown. Where as the United states rank almost at fifty for this, meaning people either welcome the unknown or shy away from it. I myself am one who leans toward those who embrace the unknown, and find it exciting.

A1:

The chose the above image because it represents me as a female and my nationality as an American. The above image is of a jewelry box given to me on my Sweet Sixteen from my parents. In the jewelry box was a yellow gold opal and diamond ring. Opal is my birthstone since I was born in October. In culture there are special times of passage for women. In Latin culture it is when I female turns fifteen, called a quinceanera. In American culture it is when a girl turn sixteen, they call it their sweet sixteen. It’s a coming of age celebration.