J AMAICAN C ULTURE By. Amy Yeomans

S OCIAL R ELATIONSHIPS Being in a new place there are three important relationships you will develop. 1) Relationships with host country families 2) Relationships with host country people 3) Romantic relationships with host country partners

S OCIAL RELATIONSHIPS 2 Basically your whole PCV experience or trip is about relationships. The nature or these relationships will be different based on if this is a friendship or work place relationship. The cultural understanding will only be meaningful when applied to specific situations.

T HE CIRCLE OF RELATIONS You may need a guide to help you with social relations because how you relate to and regard other people may be different in your host country. Some of the ways you may classify your relationships with other people could be how involved you are in their life, how responsible you feel for the happiness and well-being of the person, how much of your life and feelings you share with them and how much that person ‘means’ to you.

R ULES OF THE HOUSE When you are visiting a new culture you must consider what their culture says about the rules and etiquette of their house. We all obey many rules for interacting with other people in close quarters and rules may vary in different places and cultures.

T HE LIMITS OF F RIENDSHIP While here it may be okay to ask a friend just about any favor in a different culture it may not be okay to ask them certain things.

R OMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS Romantic relationships are hard enough with people from your own culture but it is even harder when you are in a different culture and have one with a native person.

5 O BSERVATIONS 1) How the teachers and students interact with each other. 2) How the students interact with each other. 3) Different ways the teachers teach the children. 4) How people greet and talk to each other depending on their relationship to each other. 5) How people work together in groups

A DJUSTING TO A NEW CULTURE When you are living in new place that has a different culture you will have to go through a lot of adjustments. There are three aspects you will go through. They are the cycle or stages of adjustment, the levels of cultural awareness, changes in attitudes toward cultural difference.

TRANSITIONS When you move or go to a new place you have to go through two transitions. 1) From living in one place to living in another place. 2) From working in one job to working in a different job.

C YCLE OF ADJUSTMENT 1) Initial Enthusiasm 2) Initial Country and Culture Shock 3) Initial Adjustment 4) Further Culture Shock 5) Further Adjustment

T HE FOUR LEVELS OF CULTURAL AWARENESS 1) Unconscious Incompetence -You are unaware of cultural differences. 2) Conscious Incompetence -You are aware there are cultural differences between your own culture and the local culture but you understand very little about them. 3) Conscious Competence -You know cultural differences exist and you understand a little about them so you try to adjust your behavior accordingly. 4) Unconscious Competence -Culturally appropriate behavior is now like second nature to you.

A TTITUDES TOWARD CULTURAL DIFFERENCE Your adjustment will also include your attitude towards cultural difference. As your awareness of culture increases so does your attitude toward cultural differences.

E THNOCENTRISM Stage 1 – Denial The people in this stage do not believe in cultural differences. Generally these people have limited contact with people from other cultures and therefore have no basis for believing in other cultures. Stage 2 – Defense The people in this stage believe in cultural differences but are threatened by it. They feel that other cultures are inferior and prefer to have little or no contact with other cultures. Stage 3 – Minimization People in this stage are still threatened by difference but don’t think those who are different are inferior.

E THNORELATIVISM Stage 4 – Acceptance People in this stage accept differences as being deep and legitimate. They are not threatened by cultural differences nor do they judge them as wrong or bad. Stage 5 and 6 – Adaptation and Integration The people in these stages are able to both accept and adjust to cultural differences.

Q UOTES “The African family is large. Cousins and second cousins all fall under the heading of brother or sister, and uncles and aunts function as parents. If I were a student and wanted to study in Dakar, the assumption would be that I could live in the city with my extended family.” PCV Senegal “I awoke to the faint sounds of small hands clapping three times, as custom requires upon entering a home” PCV Paraguay

Q UOTES 2 “Remember that just as you judge from your cultural standpoint, you are being judged from theirs.” PCV F IJI “The hardest time is at the beginning, when you first move into your village. Being alone, as the only foreigner, takes some adjustment. No matter how much you love it, there are some days when you’ve just had it.” PCV S RI L ANKA

L ESSONS TO BRING 1) Respect everyone’s differences. 2) Don’t be threatened by the different culture. 3) Try to learn about the culture so you can understand it and maybe not have any misunderstandings because our culture is different.

Culture Matters – The Peace Corps Cross–Cultural Workbook By. Craig Storti, Laurette Bennhold-Samaan, and the U.S. Peace Corps. Chapters 5 and 6