Values

TOPIC 4

2/24/2024

When listening to the video project on “What Does it Mean to Be American?” by previous students Lucie, Dominika, and Gemma, do the participants’ answers conflict or agree with what you have learned from our text American Ways by Gary Althen? Did anything they say surprise you? Why or why not? When thinking of your own or your nation’s assumed values, how do U.S. values compare? What is important to you personally?

 

When listening and watching the video project on “What Does it Mean to Be American?” by previous students Lucie, Dominika, and Gemma the participant’s answers do agree with the values from American Ways by Gary Althen. Both talk about or emphasize the importance of freedom, individualism, diversity, determination, opportunity, and the pursuit of knowledge as a core value to Americans. Participants in the video project voice out their thoughts as Americans and how these values really shape who they are.

 

One thing that surprised me was the woman (Anita) who when asked words to describe America said that she is ashamed of America now and not proud of America anymore but when asked this same question years ago her answer would have been different. She said most Americans are selfish, and greedy and only care about themselves. Also, they are uninformed (don’t pay attention to what is going on in the world), naïve and nationalistic, and lastly people treat others equally but not with equity. I am really surprised about this and I think her shift in perception from pride to being ashamed was notable and reflected broader concerns about the state of American society.

 

Also, what also surprised me was how diverse America is. Initially, I thought America wasn’t diverse because I mostly heard of blacks, whites, Latinos, and Hispanics but after reading the book and watching the video, I gained insight into how a lot of people from different races migrated to America and this highlights how diverse America is and this diversity emphasizes on the cultural differences that contribute to America society today.  The picture below shows how diverse American is with different race.

 

How to Use In-Person Events to Foster Diversity + Inclusion ...

 

As a Ghanaian, I have some similarities between American values and those of my own nation. The pursuit of opportunity, freedom, and democracy is described as the fundamental principle in Ghana. In Ghana, there is a belief in the importance of hard work and determination in achieving success. However, while they may be similar there are differences in how these values are manifested and interpreted in both counties. For example, the concept of Freedom in Ghana may be understood and practiced differently in different homes compared to the concept of freedom in the USA. In my family, you can only have the freedom to do anything you want when you’re on your own and that is you’re living on your own, paying your rent, and caring for yourself with your own money. If you are in the family house, you can’t have all the freedoms that you want even if you want to go out to spend some time with your friends you will have to ask for permission and the permission must be approved before you can visit your friends. There’s nothing like I am eighteen years old so I have to decide on what is better for me or even go out whenever, and whichever I want. No, it is never like that in most homes in Ghana.  If you want freedom you need to be independent first. Also, sometimes, students pick a major or classes that they want based on their parent’s decision.

 

Personally, what is important to me is equity, community, and independence. I believe in the importance of respecting diversity, embracing everyone’s differences, fostering inclusivity, and depending on oneself.

CUTLURAL ADJUSTMENT

TOPIC  3

2/17/2024

Did you identify with any of the cultural adjustment stages that YiChen in Postcards experienced? Describe your experience. Think of a time you or a friend experienced culture shock. What did you do to help yourself or your friend? In your opinion, what are (or could be) effective ways to culturally adjust at the University of Richmond?

 

On July 20, 2023, I embarked on my very first journey abroad to pursue my studies in the United States. The excitement of receiving an acceptance letter from the University of Richmond was beyond measure. I was very happy when I got to the US, the weather, environment, and technological development were mind-blowing. Before, coming to Richmond for school, I visited my aunt in Chicago, Illinois and it felt like back home in Ghana since I mostly stay at home, enjoy Ghanaian foods, and visit a lot of fashion shops, and restaurants and also get to experience how beautiful the skyline in Chicago downtown is.  I was welcomed and I felt that my presence was valued just as back at home so, I was eager to explore the unfamiliar environment when I got to campus.  However, as I soon discovered, the transition from Ghana to the United States came with its fair share of challenges when I got to campus, and weeks later my honeymoon phase as described by Oberg ‘ cultural shock‘, started drifting away. I encountered series of challenges and experiences that left me feeling disoriented similar to Yi Chen, cultural shock.

My initial hurdle was the language barrier. Communicating effectively and understanding the other students from different races proved to be quite challenging. It was more of me not being able to comprehend what they were saying and vice versa and adjusting to this new linguistic environment was a humbling experience. I mostly repeat myself whenever I talk several times which made me feel like not participating either in class or any group discussions, especially in classes where I am the only black student since I have a strong Ghanaian accent. Another significant challenge I encountered was adapting to the American food system. The culinary landscape was markedly different from what I was accustomed to in Ghana. Moreover, the differences in social norms and academic expectations made me feel isolated since I struggled to navigate daily conversations, interactions, and cultural variations making me feel homesick.

To cope with this cultural shock, I confronted a  junior-year Ghanaian on campus to help me navigate the foods in the dining hall. I followed his recommendations for some days but I realized that I kept on eating the same food which was also slowly affecting me. But this took a fortunate turn during one of my FYS classes, my professor asked us about the challenges we are facing as an international student. So, I told him what was going on, and a few days later, I received an email from the dean of Westhampton Way asking for a meet-up.  During our meeting, she told me that my FYS professor referred me to her and she wanted to help me so, she connected me to the Language department, and the school dietician to help me look for foods that would help me and connected me to other campus resources.

This meeting helped me adjust slowly to this new culture by utilizing the resources she emailed to me to develop strategies to connect with others and learn more about American culture. But most importantly what helped me personally was that I embraced diversity and valued everyone’s differences which made it easier for me to cope with other students.

In my opinion, the best way to culturally adjust at the University of Richmond is firstly to seek support from your academic advisor, deans, mentors, and professors. There are a lot of resources available on campus to help international and exchange students struggling with cultural and social adjustments.

Also, know that everyone has a unique background and experiences that will be different from yours so, step out of your comfort zone, be open-minded, and explore new experiences. Whether it’s trying new foods, attending campus events, or joining student clubs and organizations on campus, embracing growth can enhance cultural understanding and personal growth.

Lastly, Practice self-care. Remember to take care of your emotional, physical, and mental well-being such as exercises (the gym is free make good use of it before you leave campus), relaxing, and managing stress (hang out with your friends to relieve stress), doing this will promote resilience.

 

I have attached some pictures of me and my friends trying new restaurants off campus and some campus activities that I attended on and off campus and made new friends.

 

Cultural dimension

CULTURAL DIMENSIONS                                                                               02/2/2024

Choose two cultural dimensions (either from Hofstede’s model or the CARLA map) that we studied. What are your reactions to those dimensions? How might those dimensions be a challenge or surprise, if at all, for you or others while you are in U.S. culture? If you want to compare how that dimension may differ for U.S. culture, you can search for the U.S. scores on Hofstede’s website.

 

 

As an international student from Ghana and my first time experiencing the US culture two cultural dimensions sparked my attention and might be challenging while living here.

 

One of them is Individualism vs collectivism. From Hofstede’s website Ghana scored a very low score of 9 under individualism compared to the United States which scored 60. Hofstede characterized collectiveness as a cultural trait where individuals are deeply ingrained within tight knit in groups from early childhood. These groups often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) offer unwavering protection and unquestioning loyalty. From this reference, Ghana where I come from and the society, I grew up from is a very collective country. My society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for their fellow members in the group. This has made me to grow up with a sense of community and belonging in everything that I do but the shift to an individualistic country is both surprising and challenging. Adapting to this environment presents personal expectations and social dynamics challenges. An example is my experience of how group assignments are done in the US. In Ghana, when given group assignments or any group work, all the members are expected to make decisions as to when we are to meet in person and work on the assignments together by sharing any ideas and but not limited to any research that one has found which in line with the work but my experience so far in the US, is quite different. When given any group assignments everyone just does it on their own in their own space and one person decides to submit it. This was quite surprising, and a challenge to me because I have to learn how to balance personal aspirations and maintain meaningful connections with other students from different backgrounds and experiences. But looking at the positive side of this culture in the US, there’s personal freedom, and individuals are often encouraged to pursue their passions and be responsible for their own decisions which I think fosters personal growth and self-discovery. The picture below shows collectiveness vs individualism.

 

 

Individualism vs Collectivism - YouTube

 

The second cultural dimension in the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions from Mindtools that also surprised me was equality vs hierarchy. In Ghana, one cannot address an elderly person by their first name or even refer to their professors by their first name only because it is considered disrespect, and if one is not lucky and refers to a professor by their name without adding their title, that person can be punished or have a bad relationship with that particular professor which can affect one’s opportunity. Even at home, the elder person decides for the younger siblings, we add brother or sister to an elder person’s name and call any woman mom and any man dad.  An example is how I call my elder brother: Bra Akoto and Bra Enock, my younger siblings call me sister Yvonne and I call my aunties Mom and my uncle Dad. It is actually weird to say that in the US. Professors and elder individuals are referred to by their first names. There’s a belief that people should interact with each other on a level playing field. There’s an encouragement to question authority, share opinions, and speak casually thereby improving personal growth, openness, and collaborative engagement without any hierarchy. A typical hierarchy picture of a family in Ghana is showed below.

 

All these experiences are shaping me to become somebody better in the future with dynamic exploration and experiences.