The culture shock that came from moving to America at the age of eight was much more different than that to my sister’s. Though we both still have deep roots in our Peruvian culture much has receded and we have acclimated more to the American way of life. Though there is a sense of pride to say where I am from there is a sense of ambiguity as to which I feel more connected to. Taking a deeper look of how culture and values are defined and combined with my experience of moving to a different country there is much to say about culture differences and how values play a role in my connection to my culture.
When I was told we were moving to America my young mind did not conceive the idea I would not see my relatives or walk the familiar streets of Comas, Peru until almost a half a decade later nor that I would not visit 15 years after that. For a young child it seemed like an adventure but looking back and thinking of the challenges that came from acclimating to the a new culture I value my Peruvian culture of family and time. These were values that were instilled at a young age. To better understand what I mean lesson 2 defines culture as, Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another… Culture consists in patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments of artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional” (PSU, n.d.). Though I left Peru at a young age there are remanence of the culture I left behind. What has remained is the way of thinking and what I tend to value more. Because I have lived here for a good portion of my life I have both cultural patterns that sometimes are at conflict with one another. One of them being way of thinking.
Growing up education was highly valued and how you react in public and amongst friends and family matters a great deal. To add context to this idea, I myself have been in school for the past 10 years and do not see myself stopping until I get my degree. Because I needed to work and hit some roadblocks along the way it has taken me a while but the need to continue comes from how I was brought up. We value what we have and stay humble once we obtain it. Though we did not have much growing up family time and meals spent as a family were cherished. Coming to American time was seen as something you did not have and meals because something you do on the go.
I remember Sundays always being an event. Almost everything was closed and everyone was eager to play soccer or watch the match. Here in America the sense time was almost never on your side. In an article from business insider that compares the American style of working to other countries it says, “In France, Spain, Greece, and other countries, lunch breaks can last an hour or more and rarely take place in front of a computer screen” (Abadi, 2017). I myself rarely take longer than 10 minutes to eat at work and always eat while looking at emails. I long for my days off where I can eat without stressing about something else and sometimes wish I did not move here on my most stressful days. The values that were ingrained in me as a young child puts me in conflict with what I should do.
To better understand values and their meaning the lesson describes values as, Values tend to be formed in the beginning of life… values also tend to be unconscious, meaning we don’t typically think about them, but they determine our behavior… influence of culture can come into play in all three stages. During the imprint stage, an individual’s learning of good and bad from their caregivers would be highly influenced by culture, as the caregivers are part of the culture (PSU, n.d.). What I was learning at an early age and the change of culture for myself and my parents who also needed to acclimate, there was an inner-conflict for all of us. The style of living there compared to how it is here changed so therefore the thought process of working harder and the value that was put on family and time changed. As a child I was given social cues to spend time with family and value the time. The infusion of a new culture I have both cultural values which are at constant conflict. I want to work less and spend time with family but I also want to be better at work so therefore I work harder and sacrifice time and family. The style of how we work here is not the same as it is in other countries so what we value is different than what I was brought up with.
Being part of both cultures has had its drawbacks and advantages. We have stronger sense of financial security but at the expense of spending less time with family. Being part of both cultures has given me an advantage where I see the areas I need to improve on for better work-life quality which is something I do not see others take part in. When I see myself being too far from family I real myself back in and take the time to see them or be part of their lives. This is something my siblings do as well. After we come together we continue where we left off. Though I do spend time with family I simply wish I could spend more time instead of feeling like I am always on the go.
Abadi, M. (2017, November 17). 6 American work habits people in other countries think are
ridiculous. Retrieved February 11, 2020, from
Penn State University. (n.d.). Module Lesson 2: Introduction to Culture OLEAD 410, 001 Spring
- Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2041071/modules/items/27977820
Nadine Webb says
It has always interested me how other countries value time. As an American I cannot wrap my head around the concept. I am so used to rushing everywhere and fitting in as much as I can in a day. In the global business sense the concept of knowing the culture in which you are doing business can be important. When you set up companies in other countries it is important to know that lunch is spent away from the office and businesses usually close for lunch. I think as an American it can be easy to feel like your way is the best way, and that can be offensive to other people. I just wonder if a business would benefit from taking more breaks and allowing more time off for employees to relax.
edk5153 says
As a foreigner who also spent the defining years of my life in the Unites States, I feel like i can relate to your blog post. The thing that I found to be of importance is your ability to finally embrace both your American values and Peruvian values. A lot of people feel like embracing dual cultures makes them lack an identity. I grew up in East Africa but I was surrounded by American culture because of the school and friends that I had, I realized how African I was once I got to the states. The definition of culture and identity changes with time and there is no shame in being able to relate to multiple cultures at the same time. “Being part of both cultures has had its drawbacks and advantages”, I couldnt agree more with this. You can benefit from values from both your cultures because you always have extra perspective.
mcu5023 says
Hello,
Great post and I can completely relate to your story. It is certainly difficult to come from one country and move to another that are complete opposites. I was born in the United States, however, when my parents divorced they sent me to a village in Turkey to stay with my Grandmother. In the village, I saw donkeys, cows, sheep, etc walking on the streets being guided by their owners. I was able to pick fresh fruit and vegetables from my room window and backyard. I understand cultural differences very well as an American we were able to dress more openly vs. in that town of Turkey we had to be a little more modest. Cultural differences can create a unique environment to live in because of the different beliefs, languages, and behaviors. However, if you are unable to adapt to these differences it can create a culture clash. The great thing about what you said is you recognize the differences and you appreciate where you come from and having hat culture instilled in you shows you are open to adapt to your surroundings.
Khary Kyle says
Your blog was very good and sparked many thoughts with me. Exchanges of values occur as changes in culture occurs. Going from Peru to America a tradeoff in values seems to have occurred. I remember while I was living in Italy I experienced such a change. My trade off was the fast pace of American lifestyle for the slower pace but relationship-centered culture of Italian life and I went from a society of monochronic time to polychronic time. The migration from one culture to another can occur due to a family decision to move or simply a desire to alter your life based on changes that have occurred within yourself. In either case we see the effects of national culture working on an individual in the same manner; however, producing different results in each of our scenarios. In your case, your family’s decision to move to America and immerse you in a culture unfamiliar to you at first resulted in that culture gradually changing your attitudes, which in turn changed your values, which in turn changed your behavior such as sacrificing family time for financial security (Moran et al. 2014) The same culture in America produced a feeling of discontent within myself, causing me to seek a culture that I could more readily identify with. I found that in Italy, a country which values relationships such as family and friends over career advancement and material gain. Just as we learned in Managing Cultural Differences (Moran, Abramson, Moran 2014), the relationship between culture and behavior is reciprocating; however, because culture tends to reinforce general societal behaviors does not mean that a person as an individual must accept them. In my case, I chose to reject it in search of a society whose values were more in line with my own. While I love my country and many of its values; there are other values that, as I have grown as a person, are in conflict with my own.
Resources
Moran, Abramson, and Moran. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. 9th ed. (New York: Routledge). p. 42.
Deysha Lee says
I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning about your experience in coming to America. While I was born in America my family instilled the same values when it comes to working hard and getting an education. I ended up having my daughter when I was almost 2l. I was attending a community college and working towards my associate degree. I didn’t end up getting my associates till I was 27 years old. Raising my daughter on my own, working and attending school was hard but I was also determined like you to get my degree. I do believe that family helps us gain our values and we carry those values into adulthood. With culture you mentioned lunch breaks in other countries last longer and rarely take place in front of a computer screen. I have worked many jobs where my lunch break was an hour long and most of the time I would not sit and eat at my desk in less we were busy. I personally feel an hour is too long, simply because I would rather take a short lunch and go home earlier to my family. I have done some reading on the subject and of course everyone has their personal opinions on what is better a longer or shorter lunch break and it seems to depends on ones workload and if they need extra time to recharge for lunch to make it through the rest of their day. I also believe a longer or shorter lunch break depends on culture and values. If one’s values is to spend time with family, then they may be more willing to take a shorter lunch to get home early. If one’s values is to succeed at their job, then a longer lunch break would be nice to be able to recharge and relax before finishing out the rest of the day. I do believe that a lot of companies are trying to be more accommodating to one’s values and what they prefer. I know when I worked for Litha Motors corporate office they would allow you to either take a short or long lunch break depending on your schedule.
References
Tran, Y. (2016, Jan. 31). Medium . Retrieved from Lunch Breaks at Work: How Long Is Optimum to Benefit Organization and Workers?: https://medium.com/human-resources-management/lunch-breaks-at-work-how-long-is-optimum-to-benefit-organization-and-workers-522397785f74