Jamaal Gill CP #4

Now today we talked about behaviors in the classroom which tend to be very similar to American cultures. There was one exception, Saudi Arabia. Between Burkina Faso and Vietnam there tended to be many more similarities to America culture, but Saudi Arabia was a different story. The schools there are separated by gender and the behavior in the classroom tends to be much more formal. People work alone in Saudi Arabia and there's less group-oriented work which is gives a very interesting perspective on the mindset of the contemporary Saudi Arabian. One of my other tutees, Ahmed, who is from Saudi Arabia, believes in the work of individuals. We've talked at lengths about how it's difficult sometimes to empathize with the problems of the west because the cultures are so different. Yet, at the same time, Saudi Arabia is becoming more westernized every year he tells me. So the different variations of perspectives you can learn about are so vast. I actually felt a little ignorant by how little I know about other cultures. Then in Vietnam, the kids in primary school have to raise their hands in a very formal manner. However, this isn't used again later on in Vietnam higher education. America which embraces diversity doesn't really make the effort to teach the public about all of these other cultures.