Culture WS #1 - Brad Charlassier

The first culture workshop really opened my eyes to the many differences that American culture has to the culture of other countries.

In my group I had Maria. She is from Columbia and has resided in the States for a number of years, but has never attempted to learn any English. Her children have begun to speak English because of what they've learned through school and her husband knows English for his profession. Because of her family learning English, yet her inferno rant, her motivation for learning is strong.

Also in my group today was Salem. Salem is from Saudi Arabia and I actually really liked his Ray-Ban clubmasters that he has. Salem is married but I was unable to hear his reasoning for learning English initially. After talking with him for a bit, I think he wants to learn English since he plans to live, work, and raise a family here. 

The final member of my group was Nauman. Nauman is from Pakistan and is very outgoing. He has a great grasp on English and picks up on the jokes we make in the group just slightly faster than the other two. Sometimes he speaks a bit too fast, and that mixed with his accent can sometimes make him a little difficult to understand.

In our groups today, we asked one another questions relating to that individuals culture. The men from the Middle East, Salem and Nauman, both were taken aback by the cultural norm here in the States of a son or daughter moving out once they turn 18. We discussed that it has to do with the one of the core ideals around our country: Independence. I also assured them that this isn't necessarily always the case. Many Americans stay at home in an effort to save money and eventually move out at a later point.

I feel myself already becoming more cultured, which I suppose is the entire reason for the culture workshop in the first place. I really look forward to the others.