Morphemics

CC: Essay 1

This essay was written in response to the question, "How would you describe your “multicultural personality in terms of attitudes and character traits? How do you think your “multicultural personality” was be [sic] affected by your intercultural experience?"

I haven’t actually been able to identify my culture of origin. Several options present themselves. Technically, I suppose, it would be Holland before 1645. Or perhaps it’s the Pacific Northwest-my birth place and where my family now lives. It could be that from which I have my first memories-Alaskan Eskimo. Maybe it’s the one that sent us out as missionaries and to which we periodically returned-Michigan Suburbia. It might also be the one in which I felt most comfortable-Southern Brazil. There’s probably something in all the cultures I’ve lived in that might make them qualify.

On the other hand, they’ve all seemed just a bit foreign. Even the first one that I remember. I just might have been fooled into thinking that I belonged there but for one minor detail: I was white. The natives made sure that I knew it. But then I’ve lived in other cultures where I was visibly different and it proved to be somewhat of a benefit.

I’ve always had a fairly easy time adapting to different cultures; however, I’ve never been able to do so completely. It’s been my observation that sometimes looking different will cause people to be more accommodating. In the Brazilian cultures I lived in, they knew that I was a foreigner (of course, my accent probably gave that away too); consequently, I was not expected to know all of the intricacies of their society in order to be accepted. The various kinds of American culture are different; I’ve lived away from it and for just long enough a time that I've never actually felt like a part of it. There are just enough subtleties that I don’t get and, because of this, just enough opportunities for miscommunication.

The perfunctory text isn’t much of a help. It speaks of “attitudes and character traits that promote cultural learning.” But the whole thing seems to be addressed to people from a single culture who are about to embark on a new adventure. This, however, is a perspective that I cannot relate to. I’ve been culturally crossed all my life. To the same extent that many people may find their home culture to be second nature, I find the same thing to be true moving between cultures. It’s not something I really think about.

Hess writes concerning regard for culture, “The person with a low regard for culture perceives cultural differences as a social handicap to be gotten rid of” (Hess, 14). I must not fit in this category. I would no sooner think this than I would imagine that personal differences were a social handicap to be gotten rid of. I may occasionally be annoyed at the specifics, but I see the differences themselves among people as a strength. I tend to focus on and accept the similarities within a culture rather than worrying about the differences between them.

Another interesting question is, “Do you want, during your travels, to remain stable and fixed, preserving what now is, or do you want to be changed by the experience?” (Hess, 15). I’m not exactly sure how to take this. For me, being changed over time through various cultures was what actually constituted stability. The change that I had the hardest time dealing with was when we finally settled down in one place.

I looked over the list of character traits for a successful cultural learner and find that I have most of them. It’s hard to tell though whether these are natural, that is, whether I would have had them anyway, or whether my experiences produced them. I will agree that they are important to have for anyone that is going to be able to move between cultures.

Some of the traits seem to present false dichotomies. For instance, “curious rather than passive” (Hess, 19). I think I’m both. Some of these traits seem to change depending on the specific culture. I tend to be much more guarded in American culture, which, even though by now I’ve been in it longer, is still the most foreign. I’m ready to move again. I don’t know-Bangladesh sounds promising.