Dance and Culture
Something that I learned about a
person’s experience in this county that is different from me language barriers.
While conducting my life history interview with XXXX I learned that she speaks
seven languages. She is very fluid in them as well. The only problem for her
with English is that she struggles with past tenses. These for her are tricky
and she seems to ask people if what she is saying is correct a lot. One thing
XXXX wished we had in Utah is better transportation options. She doesn’t know how to drive and wishes she
had more public access to get to “further away parts of Utah.” She also hates the mountains which is something
I love. She doesn’t know why, they just
bother her; looming above and being so close to her. She thinks they are
beautiful, but knowing that they are so high above her makes her nervous and
feel enclosed within a place. This makes sense because we are in a bowl and it
can be claustrophobic to think about.
This assignment gave me a broader mindset for looking at cultures. I would have never said, “Hey, one day, I would like to go and visit Turkey.” But after talking with XXXX and hearing about some of the things about her country, she has peaked my interest in maybe going there. I would especially like to attend a wedding and participate in the lively circle dances they do. I wonder if XXXX is different to many other people who come to America. For the most part, she seems to have a lot of similar thoughts and feelings on life. She seems to think that it is different knowing that there are not very many Muslims from this country, but she said that getting away from the idea of social norms is a great experience. XXXX wished that more people knew her native language, she said that it would help others from the world feel more at ease when visiting. She said this because America is the “mixing pot,” but Utah doesn’t seem to have a lot of variety and that is kind of disappointing knowing that it isn’t the same as New York City. I know I have been naïve to think that all other countries are not as good as America. I think I thought of other countries as “third worldish.” I think that we in America could learn a few things from other cultures and their way of life even down to providing better transportation. Interviewing XXXX has peaked my interest in wanting to learn about other people and cultures as well as it has made me reflect a little on how I interact within my own family, friends, classmates and community.
This assignment gave me a broader mindset for looking at cultures. I would have never said, “Hey, one day, I would like to go and visit Turkey.” But after talking with XXXX and hearing about some of the things about her country, she has peaked my interest in maybe going there. I would especially like to attend a wedding and participate in the lively circle dances they do. I wonder if XXXX is different to many other people who come to America. For the most part, she seems to have a lot of similar thoughts and feelings on life. She seems to think that it is different knowing that there are not very many Muslims from this country, but she said that getting away from the idea of social norms is a great experience. XXXX wished that more people knew her native language, she said that it would help others from the world feel more at ease when visiting. She said this because America is the “mixing pot,” but Utah doesn’t seem to have a lot of variety and that is kind of disappointing knowing that it isn’t the same as New York City. I know I have been naïve to think that all other countries are not as good as America. I think I thought of other countries as “third worldish.” I think that we in America could learn a few things from other cultures and their way of life even down to providing better transportation. Interviewing XXXX has peaked my interest in wanting to learn about other people and cultures as well as it has made me reflect a little on how I interact within my own family, friends, classmates and community.