culture

This week in class we have been talking a lot about culture. We talked about how culture is the lens through which we see the world. Our culture affects out language, beliefs, values, norms and behaviors and causes us to think certain ways about other cultures. Ethnocentrism causes us to basically judge other cultures based on their values and beliefs just because they may differ from our own. I guess I could say I'm a little ethnocentric but I think that is just because I don't really know much about other cultures and haven't experienced anything different from my own. Hearing Ms. Brownstone's experience in China really intrigued me and made me interested in visiting other countries and getting a feel for their culture. I'm not really sure if I'm brave enough to do what she did and live in a foreign city for almost 3 years. But I would love to study abroad in college because it seems like a life changing experience. It is so cool hearing about the difference in people's behaviors, norms, language, and values all because they grew up knowing something different than me. I hope one day I get the chance to experience something like Ms. Brownstone's story because I think it is important to not be caught up in my own culture and think that is the only way things work. There is so much out there in the world that I have not seen or experienced yet and studying about the differences in cultures this week has made me want to travel to new places and have the opportunity to experience these other cultures.