Being immersed in a culture or language foreign to your own makes you have a deeper appreciation for all the nationalities we have living together in our country! It's interesting to see when a big event is happening and those of a different cultural background or language have no clue what is being said, yet they are expected to enjoy the festivities or celebrations as if they were their own. I attended a "Dia de las Nacionales" party at my church on Saturday evening, and it was a wonderful event with several dishes from around the world and dances from different countries. I could tell that it was a very cheerful and joyous occasion, as there was laughing and applause after every song. There were times that you could notice the dancers trying not to smile or laugh as they were trying to focus; that’s how much of a happy occasion it was. It was a beautiful tribute to their origins.
The problem I had was the language barrier, as I couldn’t understand what was being said. I had to gather information from people’s faces, crowd reactions and the few words in the language that seemed to be remotely similar to words in English. I believe many people take this for granted and just expect or wish for a translator or interpreter to be there to catch those up who don’t quite understand or comprehend, but it doesn’t exactly work like that. To be a part of this new culture means accepting everything about it, even the language. This scenario can create a situation in which you question to yourself, “What is really going on?" or, "I shouldn’t be here…” simply because of a language barrier. This shouldn’t be the case; the enjoyment of the language or country shouldn’t be disregarded, and other means of communication should be attempted or at least tried if you know how. The people present at my church event were all so friendly and welcoming and interested in sharing their culture; it was an amazing evening!
This could tie back into our SUMMIT Global courses that I and many of us at Agnes Scott had first semester freshman in which where we underwent a similar situation: traveling to a new country and knowing the language in varying levels and trying to have conversations with the locals. Honestly, I believe other countries can teach you certain things that would take a longer time to acquire on your own simply because you are accustomed to it. For example, there is a trait that some Americans have in which they dive straight into what they want (demanding if you will) without having a little small talk first or discovering how the person is. I find that certain traits in your own culture you’ll only pick up on when surrounded by people who act differently. I find learning from a new culture to be an amazing experience.
