Culture Clashes 7/2/12

Culture Clashes

 Katie Here, I have just returned from an adventure of a lifetime. I have spent the last week traveling around Arusha, the Ngorongoro Crater and The Serengeti. I went on a safari through these areas with a touring company. It was an amazing trip as I saw many different animals and landscapes that took my breath away. Besides that, one of the most amazing things about going on the safari was meeting all of the different people on the safari and at the campsites.  In my vehicle there was a driver and a cook; both of Tanzanian heritage, and then there was an elder woman from Hong Kong, two men, around the age of 24, that were both from Colombia and me, an American. As you could expect there were some major culture clashes.

One thing, which I realized right away, was our different way of managing our time. The Colombians were very relaxed and laid back. They always took their good ole' time showering, sleeping, eating, etc. We were ALWAYS waiting for them. They were even the ones saying lets leave earlier and they would NEVER be there at the time they personally set. Me and the elder woman from Hong Kong would get very frustrated with them. As in our cultures, if somebody says a time to meet, you are there at least 5 minutes early. It made us very mad to have to wait for them. The Tanzanians were always on time on the trip, as they were the workers, but they understood and would not get mad at them for being late. A big motto in Tanzanian, in which there are many bumper stickers and shirts made with this saying on it is, "No Hurry in Africa". Which is completely true as everything is done very slowly here.

Another clash was how we spoke, every group spoke a different language, Swahili, Spanish, English and Chinese. Everyone knew English but some people not well. Communication was difficult at times. It was a very different experience as we needed to form other ways of talking and to allow others to know what the others wanted. It also made me feel sad that I only know one language fluetly, English. Most people, from other countries, know a minimum of 2 languages. It made me realize that even if we say in America that we have a great education system it may not be as good as we think because many people in America only know English. We expect others to know English but we do not take the time to learn their language.
There were a few more clashes that were not as big of deal but still had an effect on the group. The attitudes and how we dressed. The Colombians dressed very casually. They wore jeans and t-shirts the whole time. The Tanzanians wore uniforms and the women from Hong Kong was much more dressed up. She wore khakis and nice jackets and sweaters. Another clash was how we spoke. The Colombians used a lot of slang, along with myself. The woman from Hong Kong spoke very properly and did not understand our slang.  She was also a lot more serious than the rest of us. We were all laid back but she was very strict and professional about everything. This may also have had to do with our ages. Overall, it was a great experience and I think everyone should be put in a situation where they are with people of many different cultures.