Cultural Literacy

"As a consequence of the fact that we learn most easily when we attach the new to the old, people who already know a lot tend to learn new things faster and more easily than people who do not know very much."

- Hirsch

I wonder how I became "culturally literate" in my culture. It wasn't just me growing up. It was the irritating way a mom always says "say thank you" when someone gives you something until it just comes out without prompting. It was the strange "manners" class my middle school once had us put through, where multiple forks for one dinner seemed so bizarre. But it was also the way my peers responded to things I would say whether they were nice or mean.

Luckily, I've grown up since then.

It seems so easy to slide into your home culture, after all, you grew up there, and you didn't know it, but every day you learned something new.

As for going to Belgium, well I was quite excited to read The Geert Hofstede analysis! Though it was quite hard to decipher.

I have yet to hang out with just Belgians for longer than 20 minutes, being that it is currently winter break and last week they were all in exams, but I did get to go to a party with Belgians!

The thing is, they are quite like Americans. But there were quite a few cultural shocks.

The one that stands out the most to me is that they don't say "excuse me" or "pardon." When you walk down a street and someone is coming at you, we normally move out the way, and if we miss we say "sorry." Not here. They don't even physically move, but when they get close they kinda maneuver or bend the top half of their body out of your way. and If you get hit. Well! Deal. It's so strange coming from the south with all of the manners I learned.

And the other things, but I have yet to really feel it, is the fact that they have no government.

That's right. Belgium hasn't had a government since summer. Weird, huh?

But everything is still functioning.