635 Answer for a classmate DB Module 2 Discussion Board
1. Describe a moment where you felt you didn’t fit in or understand a situation due to culture or values either in your personal life or work. How did you handle the situation? Was it successful? What would you change if faced with a similar situation?
I have lived and worked in Staten Island, NY for my entire life. I grew up in an area surrounded by friends and neighbors that shared the same racial and ethnic identities as I did, and I did not realize how different the world was until I attended middle school. I was enrolled in a middle school that was very diverse and what I was used to was not considered the “norm” anymore. My identity was different than those of my classmates and I really did not know if I could relate to them as we were so different. I was used to seeing Italian people surrounding me, and now I was met with classmates from all different areas of the world. Right off the bat, I felt I did not fit in, and I really wasn't fond of my school. I have always been very shy and kept to myself due to personal insecurities, and now I felt those insecurities even more as I was not used to being around people who did not share my cultural background.
Being insecure was definitely a hinderance in my ability to interact with my peers, however, those peers had no problem coming up to me and introducing themselves. Once I got to know my classmates, we became quick friends, and I was even able to learn about their cultural backgrounds. For example, one of my classmates was from Egypt, when she invited me to her house, I was able to see different parts of their cultural and be introduced to some of their practices. This happened as well when my friend came to my house and was introduced to Italian culture.
Looking back at this time, I do not feel as though I handled the situation as best as I could have. I feel as though I could have overcome the insecurity and not be nervous about what is different but embrace it. I was able to become friends with a diverse group of people, and we remain friends even to this day. According to Lynch and Hanson (2011), our culture and background are not our racial and ethnic identities, and they do not solely define us, but our personality and how we interact with those around us makes us the person that we are. I feel that interacting with people and being open to differences and learning and appreciating what you are not familiar with is something many people in the world would benefit from. If I were to ever be faced in a similar situation at this point of my life, I would welcome people with open arms and try to get to know them as best as I could.
Overall, I feel that my experience as a child was built on my ignorance of the world. I was familiar with people being different, however, my interactions were few and far between. I am very thankful to say that is not the person I am anymore. I really enjoy learning about different people and their culture; whether that is through ethnic values or their personal beliefs. Our would can be very ugly at times, and I feel it is very important to be kind to everyone and accepting of people’s differences.
Questions:
1. Why do you feel it is important to interact with those that have different backgrounds than we do?
2. Have insecurities ever held you back from being the person you truly are?
Reference:
Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (2011). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with children and their families (4th ed.). Paul H. Brookes Pub.
