Culture School is in session! In this series, we take an aspect of intercultural theory and apply to daily life. Basically, our goal is to expose those cultural moonwalking bears. And because this blog is about culture and education, we consider each topic in the context of the classroom.
photo by maryatexitzero
by :: Anamaria
In the past few weeks we have been looking at various ways in which time affects our lives. Cate and I have spent many hours talking about this topic, discovering all the unexpected ways in which our own cultural perceptions of time affect our thinking, our behavior, our relationships…the list can go on and on and on.
Cate’s perspective is more monochronic (in line with U.S. culture), whereas mine is a bit more polychronic (in line with my collectivist Romanian culture). The beauty of these conversations is the cultural self-awareness they bring about. I have discovered myself many times over during these conversations.
Stories make up a large part of any conversation Cate and I have about culture. Mainly personal stories, many from our travels. Life offers some of the best examples to illustrate the cultural theory that we both learned in school, so I am always on a quest for more stories.
Recently, I heard two that made me think about time, and which I would like to share with you. They are both from Jason Patent’s blog, and they beautifully illustrate how deeply perceptions of time will permeate cultures.
Here is an excerpt from the first story:
In 1972, when Nixon was visiting China, one day he was strolling the grounds of the Forbidden City with Premier Zhou Enlai. Kissinger had told Nixon that Zhou was an avid student of French history. Looking to make conversation, Nixon asked: “What has been the effect of the French Revolution on Western civilization?” Zhou’s answer: “It’s too early to tell.”
And here is a bit from the second story :
How could a ghost gain a foothold in American cities? People move about like the tide, unable to form permanent ties with places, to say nothing of other people.…
Enjoy!
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