Artifact 5:
Retrieved from: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
One of the major themes of my blog and semester has been my interest in visiting Japan and to understand how to relate to the natives there as to provide for a richer experience. In the image above, the blue represents where Japan falls under the six dimensions we covered in Module 4 compared to the purple which represents our country. I think the most important dimension to focus on between these two nations is how they rank in terms of individualism. In Japan, the entire basis of their culture functions on relying on each other and seeing their collective progress as a society to be important. However, in our country, we are almost entirely focused on our own future as individuals and only seek out groups to benefit our personal success. If I were to ever visit or study in Japan, it is wise to keep in mind that I must adjust to functioning in their society as a part of the collective and not disrupt their sense of group harmony during my stay.
Artifact 4:
My perception of time has always been relative, and what I mean by that is time can be expressed in various ways in relation to the context of a situation. For example, if one were waiting for a plant to grow, then three hours would feel like a very small portion of the plant’s growth cycle. However, if a coworker was 15 minutes late to a meeting, that would feel like an eternity and you might feel very angry. In Module 1o, we were asked to describe how long we would wait for different types of people in our lives such as a family member or our boss. Instead of breaking it down by the individual, I would argue the best rule of thumb would be to only wait for as long as the other person would reasonably wait for you. I would not wait an extra 20 minutes for my boss to show up to a meeting, but I might wait 30 minutes if I was waiting on my mother to come over to start cooking dinner together. In the image above (a work of mine from a few years ago), I hope to display how time is a constant cycle that is mostly out of our control. However, what we choose to do with the time we are given is what matters, and we are ultimately in charge of how we delegate our given time to the important people in our lives.
Artifact 3:
Retrieved from: https://www.wordclouds.com/
For the artifact in Module 8, we were asked to choose an image that best illustrates the more negative qualities of our personality based on the table on page 132. I do not believe we have strict personalities that respond in predictable ways; rather, I believe we are fluid beings who rely heavily on context to form our responses to situations. In the above images, I have used my positive word cloud from a past blog post and a new cloud to represent some of the traits I have displayed in response to tense situations in my life. Many people who were with me during these events, such as when a client was incredibly rude to me and I was venting about them on lunch break, were surprised to see me be so angry. I am usually a calm and steady person at work, and them seeing such an outward and vivid expression of emotion made a few of them uncomfortable. However, it does not usually bother me when people act ‘out of character’ but rather I get curious as to what prompted the unusual behavior from an individual. As much as I am proud of my positive traits, I do also embrace my negative attributes but only when they are not negatively intended at an individual and are expressed fully in context.
Artifact 2:
A lot of the time when people see me from my past, they are shocked to see how successful, extroverted, and content with my life I have become. In Module 6, we were asked to describe a significant event in our lives by drawing the image (or in my case, painted) to represent how it transformed us. A few years ago, my father unexpectedly passed away which threw my life into turmoil as I realized anyone I loved could die any instant even with no logical reason. The stress that I put on myself to enjoy every moment and make every interaction important became unbearable and is simply too much for one person to bear. A few years later, so around early last year, I realized that it was my fault I was feeling this way and to try and locate the source. Once I finally accepted my father’s death, it inspired me and I painted this altered book page to represent my experience. As time goes on, the pages of my story continue to exist as tangible events, but it is not going to always be colorful. I chose to paint one side black, to represent my depression and loss of hope during the years after his death, and the other side bright colors to represent when I got my interest in life back. Even though I miss my father, if it were not for his passing, I may very likely not have turned into the person that I am today who I believe he would be very proud of.
Artifact 1:
Retrieved from: https://www.bookstr.com/15-lgbtq-books-read-pride-month
In Module 3, we were asked to locate an image that represents an aspect of the culture we identify with which I have represented in the image above. At age fifteen, I came out to the world after realizing that I would not hide my identity any longer as this is my only life. I decided that even if people that I loved were to reject me, then they were not worth my time and energy to begin with. In this picture, these individuals are radiant with inclusion, confidence, and do not appear to be concerned with how others might judge them for being who they are. It took me years to overcome that anxiety even after making the first leap by coming out as gay and having my family try and “educate” me on why it was only a phase. Almost a decade later, I am with my partner of over two years and could not imagine living life without him by my side. I continue to try and educate people on the importance of waiting to come out until they believe it is the right time for them despite events such as “National Coming Out Day.” The act of revealing who you truly love is a big decision that nobody should try and force out of someone before they are ready to fully embrace that part of themselves.