Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Religion I found is a very unpredictable reflex. Now if I am ever thinking of doing something my
parents or more specifically the religion disapproves of, my mind starts going over verses about
obeying your parents and not deviating from my path. Personally it has saved me in many
experiences. I can confidently say that if I lost my religion, I would have lost my way.
Another Internal subset of culture is language. Like religion it cannot be seen on the
surface, but is subjective knowledge (Edward). According to the wall street journal
Charlemagne proclaimed that to have a second language is to have a second soul
(Boroditsky). I can relate heavily, I know three languages fluently and can speak two others.
Growing up I remember my parents speaking Yoruba which a mesh up of French and other
native languages. Now different languages have different ways of explaining and saying things.
In French you can be formal or informal based on who you are talking to, in Yoruba you are
completely formal all the time. It took some time before I learned to differentiate between the
grammars of actual French and Yoruba. The benefit of knowing multiple languages is that it truly
gives you different perspective. When speaking Yoruba which uses minimal French, I feel more
of a connection between me and the other person. When I switch to French especially with my
parents I somehow feel detached and a bit on auto pilot and unable to express myself freely.
According to the Independent People self-report that they feel like a different person when
using their different languages and that expressing certain emotions carries different emotional
resonance depending on the language they are using (Athanasopoulos). Cultural isnt all about
what we cannot see, it also has factors we can see.
External subsets of culture like food and clothing play a major role in who they are. Food
and clothing are conscious choices and are easily changed (Edward). In Islam, traditional
clothing is a long shirt that goes from the neck to the ankles. Now if I wanted to I could wear this
every day and everyone would know that I am a Muslim, but I choose not to. Food on the other
hand is the complete opposite with me, I love trying new foods. I also like inviting my friends to
my house to have a traditional togolaise meal. I think eating different foods is a way of going to
different places without really leaving. Food can fill your stomach and your mind.
To develop my global citizenship competency, I have volunteered to tutor international
students through the IELI (Intensive English Language Institution). This experience was
extremely valuable to me. Through teaching internationals students about American culture and
why Americans do things they find bizarre, I found new cultural perspective on things. Also
while teaching English I learned that there were somethings in the English language I just knew
and could not explain. This experience was a learning process for me and my international
students. I also intend on joining the French club to further immerse myself in the culture instead
of just speaking it. Also to join or create an MSA (Muslim Student Association) club here at
MSU. Furthermore I above all else want to study abroad in Europe so I can utilize my French
and learn things from the French perspective.
Work Cited
Edward T. Halls Cultural Iceberg Model (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 9 Dec. 15.
Boroditsky, Lera. "Lost in Translation." WSJ. The Wall Street Journal, 23 July 2010. Web. 10
Dec. 2015.
Athanasopoulos, Panos. "How the Language You Speak Changes Your View of the World." The
Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.