For the four assignments that you choose to complete throughout the semester, you will reflect on your takeaway from each. Do not copy and paste your assignments. Think of this space as a brief way to communicate how the assignment engaged you, how it was personally relevant, and reflect on how you learned more about yourself after completion. Each assignment recap will need to contain an illustrative picture. Examples will be provided.

Assignment #4

For this takeaway assignment, we were required to look at gender differences and stereotypes of American culture and non- American cultures. Women and men are represented differently in the media for many reasons. when watching television on commercial breaks, we typically see men in commercials for big trucks, home supplies, alcohol such as beer, etc. but the only commercials I see for women are the baking supplies, hygiene and beauty products, etc. when watching them do you ever stop to think how that can affect us and what wed like to purchase or how it can influence  societies thinking.

for example, the picture I chose from the 1940’s is a poster depicting that women can do anything men can. allowing the women society to continuously see that poster sparked a feminist movement due to the fact that men were being shipped off to war which gave women the opportunity replace them. this single advertisement not only shows that women are not confined to their homes and “wifely duties” . this in turn gave women the motivation to work which shaped society and culture for generations to come.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/rosie-the-riveter

Assignment #3

For assignment 3, i read Nyah Tinsley’s blog. Nyah Tinsley was a student at Temple University studying abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica. While reading her blog posts, ive come to realize that i am a lot like her. I chose to read her blog because seeing someone who sort of looks like me in a place where i’ve learned so much about peaked my interest. Since the beginning of high school ive spent so much time learning about spanish speaking countries and their cultures that when picking a blog, seeing costa rica triggered old memories of high school. along with those memories, costa rica is one the places i have dreamed of going. while i have never studies abroad, my high school experience was sort of like the experience she had but without the traveling of course. About 15-20 kids were chosen for a program titled ” Center for World Languages and Global Citizenship” (but we only spoke spanish… weird i know), we spoke no english, learned about many countries and their subcultures, and kids were presented with opportunity to study in spain during the summer with others schools.

In her posts, she describes her life and a few of the challenges she has overcome like being homesick and building new relationships as an introvert. in her post she has described many things from emotions felt during the application process to how the two cultures (united states and costa rica) are different to how she dealt with a non- traditional thanks giving. in her first post, she described how the pandemic has increased her anxiety and why she was so nervous to stay with a host family but she believes it will be worth it. In her post, i can definitely tell that there was a boost in her confidence. she was fairly immersed in the culture and describes how rewarding this program was for her. from her first post, she describes a state of curiosity, anxiousness, and worry but i can tell that once conquering that anxiety of being away from her family while in the midst of a pandemic, she was able to learn and experience a lot more. from the first post to the last, she has become more comfortable and confident in the her skills.

photo taken by Samuel Charron; https://unsplash.com/photos/7C7jwyZnVlg

Assignment #2

There were many different values discussed in this article in which they all play a significant role in our lives one way or another. Time is something we as a nation value so much we even coined the term “time is money” because to some people it truly is. Unfortunately for me, i dont see time and its control as such. i cant say that time doesnt inherently control my life because it truly does. i feel like everywhere i go is so fast paced that time slips by me and i hadnt even noticed. i work at a place where everything has to be done by a certain time. before the store opens, we are put on a time limit of 30 minutes to make sure everything is ready for customers to come running into the store. everything we do at the store is planned from meal breaks to taking out the trash. if something isnt done “on time” essentially off sets the entire day.

i feel that people from other cultures view time completely different from how we view the concept of time. depending on the country, everything isnt as fast paced. i think they typically like to take the time to enjoy life rather than rushing to complete everything before a certain time. i definitely feel that it is a good thing because would have a lack of stress and impatience. i truly wonder how the united states would survive at this point in time without something that tells the time whether its a phone, computer, watch, clock, etc. i feel if we were to go a week with the concept of time, we wouldn’t make it.

Assignment #1

Of the six stages of intercultural sensitivity, I can say that I identify with stage four the most. Stage four is the acceptance of difference stage. this stage is defined as an acceptance to another culture whether there is an agreement or disagreement; but rather an acceptance of an alternative to one’s own culture. I align with this because I see myself as a person who accepts all other cultures because there is no need for me to disapprove of another culture or act as if the culture isn’t genuine. I feel that “disapproving” of another culture isn’t going to do anything but risk my happiness. At the end of the day, having different cultures and accepting them is what makes the world work.

Specifically, i identify with the Acceptance/Behavioral Relativism perspective. I love learning about different cultures and how it differs from mine. I love to ask questions about behaviors to just make a comparison between the two. i just feel that as we continue to explore and expand as a community, we are learning about more cultures that we didn’t have enough knowledge on before. I love the diversity. whenever i travel to different places whether its countries even states, i try to make note of how different they are and while i’m there i try to learn what exactly makes them so different. Granted if im talking to someone of a different culture, i try to be as respectful as i can so i wont offend anyone by my curiosity .