Socio-cultural self-awareness
Can you give an example of a time you faced an unfamiliar social or cultural situation? How did you navigate it?
When it comes to respect, I was astonished when I moved to NYC from Guyana, South America. As I grew up , we were taught to give our elders, our teachers, our parents the highest of respect by never addressing them by their first names or talking back. So when I settled down at my new high school in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I was appalled by the drastic difference of how students treated their teachers. It was a noticeably different culture that I did not want any part of. I think the school exhibited a kind of freedom that encouraged bad behaviour. However, at the same time, this freedom was used to express vulnerability and advocacy. In both scenarios, these actions were not frequent in Guyana. Therefore if it is one thing that I took away from my adjustment to the US, is the ability to share your feelings and thoughts.
Engage different perspectives
Can you give an example of a time you took the initiative to learn about the perspective of someone whose background was not like your own?
I would use this question to discuss those that have a different political backgrounds than mine. It is no secret that the United states and other countries are divided by political views. However, as much as it is important to learn about someone’s cultural/economic background, one should be open to hear the political views of others. Therefore ,when I listen or hear those with different views than mine, while I may not agree, I do not attack them for their views. It is not fair to “cancel” someone as they have the right to free speech like any other in the US. It was interesting to see that the 1st Amendment is used particularly when it benefits a political side of an ideal. I do not follow that path and because of that I will continue to listen to those who agree and disagree as it it fair for everyone to have the space to voice their opinions.
Can you give an example of a time you identified a social or cultural assumption held by someone else? How did you address and negotiate it?
I remember I was at swim practice one day and it was Diwali, a Hindu celebration. In Guyana, even as a non Hindu, I celebrated this holiday as it forms unity amongst the different cultures present in Guyana. Myself and a teammate of Indian heritage were conversing over the history of Diwali and the strong presence of Indian culture in Guyana. This teammate made the assumption that Indians brought rice to the Caribbean and Africans brought chicken. Now this was quite an insensitive cultural assumption. With that, I corrected him by saying that African slaves were the ones who brought rice in their hairs as a way to guarantee themselves food upon their arrival to the colonies. We did not bring chicken. I felt proud of myself after this incident but I was disappointed in my teammate for not recognizing the blatant stereotype that he choose to utter.
