Welcoming Families From Around the World-Germany

Germany.

-I will study the different cultures of Germany: their languages, the types of food they eat, and their hobbies.

-I will study the countries dialects, so I can at least understand a little of what they are saying.

-I will buy the different types of foods that they are accustom to eating.  I found that pork is their top meat and Germans also like: cabbage, beets, cold cuts, cheese, and salads.  The favorite alcoholic beverages are:  beer, brandy, and schnapps.

-I will assist the family with finding employment.  I would discuss with them about their educational and vocational goals and skills.

-I will make sure that the family is comfortable and their needs are being met to the best of my ability.

            I hope that I receive enough time in order to make sure I am at least partially prepared for the group.  I know that I like to be feel comfortable and wanted, so I would do my best to make sure that the visiting group is also.  It would be so exciting to learn about another culture other than my own.

  

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I have experienced prejudice on several occasions, but the most memorable and frequent occurrences have been at a little hometown diner.  It is owned by a Caucasian couple, and it has all Caucasian employees. The prejudice is very prevalent when the diner has a lot of Caucasian customers, mostly Caucasian men.  My co-workers and I frequent the diner at least twice a week.  The employees are very familiar with us and they know our usual orders and everything.  It is one of the employees who is a lot friendlier than the others.  She usually acts the same way all of the time.

In one particular case, we had pre-ordered our food and when we arrived it was already sitting on the table not covered.  We asked, how long had it been out. The waitress replied that they had just sat it out.  The diner was packed, so people were walking by the table and our meal was exposed to all of the elements. We all felt that it was inappropriate.  We wanted to know why the food couldn’t be held in the kitchen area until we arrived.  After several questions, the restaurant would not admit any wrong doing. Keep in mind at the time, the restaurant was filled with Caucasian’s.  We just sat down and ate our food.  That was the icing on the cake.  We do not frequent the diner much now, because that situation was beyond rude and disrespectful.

I feel in this day and time, we should all be treated equal if we all are paying customers.  Racism and prejudice is still very prevalent in American today.

           

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week I recalled a situation of microagression that I encountered about different economic/educational class.  I was having a conversation with this guy and he was discussing the difference of our salaries, jobs, and educational backgrounds. 

He asked me how long I attended college.  I told him and then we discussed my profession.  He then told me how much he made per year and about his job. He said, “I make almost double your salary and I have not went to college for one day.” We went into a deep debate about our jobs and our different working conditions.

His job is quite different from mine.  He is only home two weeks out of the month, so he usually misses most all of the major holidays.  I reminded him that I am able to come home every day after 8 hours of working and I am off on weekends.  Money is important, but I would rather have my job and schedule.  I enjoy having my evenings with my family and having weekends off.  His job is more strenuous than mine, so he is basically getting paid for the time and work that he is doing.

I did become a little offended and he tried to tell me that he did not mean to be offensive. He was only trying to make a point.

 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I talked with about three different types of people: a Caucasian lady in her 40s, an African American Man in his 30s, and an African American lady in her 30s; because I wanted to get different point of views.

In the discussion of culture, I received answers like it’s a person’s background, ethnicity, sex preference, values and how a person was raised. I informed them that those answers are correct, but culture goes further than we have imagined or thought we knew. As we discussed diversity; they mentioned ages, races, sexual preference, religion beliefs, abortion, and many other common things that we would consider a diverse issue. One of them said diversity is just that, diversity because it means different.

As we were discussing it, we mentioned similar things in relation to both culture and diversity. It was an interesting conversation.  I learned different views from them concerning culture and they learned new things from me. I told them that our dialect and even the type of television we watch is considered culture all of them were surprised, but as we discussed it.  They could see how they could be considered culture. I have learned that the topics are so broad and this class has taught me so much more already.

My Family Culture

If I had to take three items they would be (1) Bible, (2) Family Pictures, and (3) Computer.  I would take my Bible, because it contains the stories that I grew up on and it contains the lessons I try to apply to my daily life.  I would take a family picture, because I would like to cherish the memories of my family and be able to look at their faces.  I would take a computer, because I should be able to access the World Wide Web (WWW).  The internet would keep me in tuned with the most current events.

            If I could only keep one item, it would be my Bible.  Even though I also chose a family portrait and a computer; in my eyes the Bible would outweigh the both of them.  This is due to the fact that the Bible is the connection to God, and God is the head link to everything.  He will help you get through anything else that you are lacking in life.

            I have always known that family is important, but I am now learning that importance of family culture and how things are done by different individuals.

My Supports

    I am surrounded by plenty of support systems, which include: my family, close friends, and my job. My family supports me by being there emotionally, socially, and many times financially.  I have three boys who are very active and I really have to take a "me" break at times.  My family helps me out with my children. 
     I have a few friends who are like "heaven sent", they are shoulders to cry on or someone to just hang out with.  These friends are really near and dear to my heart.  I am blessed to have them.
     My job is another one of my supports. It is also a very important part of my life, because I have to provide the financial means for my children and our lifestyle.  All of the above mentioned supports are a critical part of my life.

My Connections to Play

“It’s better to play than do nothing.” Confucious

“Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” Miles Davis

I was the only child home when I was growing up, because my siblings were much older than me, so I had to play with other children in the neighborhood. My parent’s didn’t stress outside play too much, because they did not want me outside alone if I did not have any company.

            As I child, it was more outside play than today, because it was before the age of video games. I have a 10 year old that complains about it being too hot to play outside in the summer and too cold to play outside in the winter, because he wants to stay inside to play his video game. I monitor his video gaming, because of his homework and getting outside playing for the interaction with other children. Social skills are very important and should be concentrated on just as much as academic skills.

            As we grown into an adult, we do need to mature but we should also have some downtime and relax. The issues of an adult’s life on a regular are very stressful at times. We have to step away at times, because stress will work on our physical and mental health.