When I was in my primary school, we, the students used to bring food from home to the school for lunch. In my class, we like to share our food to show friendship. Once I tried to share my food with one of my friends, but she refused my request. I felt a little upset, because I thought she might dislike me. After some time, she even changed her seat (she was my deskmate) and said she could not stand the smell of my lunch. I was angry because she looked down upon me and my mother’s cooking. Since then, I seldom talked with her and we did not keep touch with each other after graduation. Not long afterward, I found out that she is a Manchu, a race in China whose people never eat pork (I ate pork often in my primary school) or share the food with others. Not until then did I realize that it was I who was impolite to her. I did not know her custom and was kind of rude to her.
I learnt a lot from this lesson. Sometimes our ignorance will hurt someone and it cannot be an excuse. I believe most of us have heard of this proverb “Do in Rome as the Romans do.” We follow the custom in each place not just for our own convenience or intercommunion, but also to show respect to their local custom. When contacting with just one person, we still need to consider his habits and try not to be rude to someone. Therefore, next time, before you judge someone, you should learn more about him or his race and consider your own behavior.
Hey Zhu Li
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that if we know nothing about a person's cultures, we will unknowingly hurt him or her. Thus, it is important that we understand other people's cultures and behave appropriately in front of them. Moreover, if we do not have effective intercultural communication, we will not be able to make a wide range of friends of different race. For your post, I feel that you did not explain much on how do the principles of intercultural and interpersonal skills that we discussed in class apply in your situation. Perhaps, you could explain how you will try to communicate to your classmate after learning about her customs. Overall, your post is interesting and I also like the use of proverb in your post to make it more interesting. Keep it up!
argh argh geck keat you just posted b4 i do..
ReplyDeleteHey zhuli..
seems ppl now all write post starting with a personal example..haha thats gd coz different ppl have different experiences..and as such will be able to look at the same matter from different perspectives.also sth interesting abt the example that you provide is that as chinese myself i wasnt aware that manchu doesnt eat port..haha next time i might be more careful.
also i feel that you have made your point very clear, that do not judge a person without trying to understand him/her first. well i think this is a valid point..too many times we make hasty judgement, leading to misunderstanding.
However, i feel that you example is a little bit too long and also you might wish to bring in more points in your post..one instance backing up one solid point..reasonable but a bit weak, from what i see.
Overall nice story told and sound idea conveyed.Jiayou =]
Hi Zhu Li,
ReplyDeleteI liked your use of a personal example, which made your post more relatable to readers. It was a very relevant example to use to get across your message across, about the implications of improper cultural communication. The fact that you two could have become good friends, but could not be due to a cultural miscommunication, exemplifies the importance of intercultural communication. It also highlights that not being sensitive to one’s culture can arise in uncomfortable situations where someone’s feelings are hurt.
Your quote, “Do in Rome as the Romans do”, is apt, as it makes sense to try to fit into the new surroundings and respect the foreign culture. However, I feel that wherever one is, one’s individuality and own cultural values, morals and customs should not be given up completely, at the expense of being accommodating to another culture. Your example about your Manchu friend could have been more concise, and more background information could have been given about interpersonal communication, like what constitutes effective communication.
There is coherence and clarity in your writing, and good reflection on your own experience!
Hi Zhu Li,
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute story, haha. I feel that your post showed how ignorance may lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Your post also made me think of something about children and ignorance... that it may not be a bad thing after all, since the kid is like a blank sheet of paper that can be readily filled in. I'm sure that incident has made you more aware of others' feelings and perspectives too :)
Though, I think that your example is a little too long. I think you were trying to depict your feelings at that time, but some details could be left out to make it more succinct, and more words can be given the ‘aftermath’ rather than description. Just my two cents!