Describe a situation where you had to work or closely associated with someone from a culture very different from your own. What challenges did you face and how did you resolve them?
Our class had a visitor that day. His name was David and he was from the United Kingdom. We were all interested at the arrival of this alien who was to join our class for a whole week. Apparently, his ongoing research on high school students from all over the globe had brought him to our school.
From a distance, I was quite intrigued by David. I was hardly ever around foreign people so it was natural for me to find him fascinating. He had a strange accent and an uncanny body language. I found this amusing! However, when at the end of the day the teacher announced that I was to help David for the rest of the week, I was appalled.
My bus ride home was spent thinking about how I could possibly work with David. To make matters worse, I already felt awkward around him and I was sure that he could not relate to me. Plus, he was from a different culture and was from a different country altogether. These thoughts kept on occurring to me.
The next day, after considering faking sickness to miss school, I decided that I would give the task a try. David was there to greet me when I reached the class. I had planned on speaking little and replying only when questioned. However, his friendly conversations made it unable for me to maintain my silence. As the day progressed, I started to find his company quite pleasant.
I soon realized that we had a lot in common. He shared my interest in blues rock and enjoyed playing the guitar too. We both loved watching soccer and we even hooted for the same teams! I was also intrigued by his lifestyle in the UK and his cultural activities. David himself wanted to know more about my way of life and was rather interested in learning about our cultural rituals.
When the week ended, we shared our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch. I also gifted him a traditional 'Dhaka Topi', an oval shaped Nepali hat, which he happily accepted.
After my encounter with David, I started to become more interested in foreign cultures and make new friends of different backgrounds from over the world. I am continuing this habit and have found the information I acquired through these endeavours to be highly valuable.
Thanks in advance for the future feedback(s) :)
Our class had a visitor that day. His name was David and he was from the United Kingdom. We were all interested at the arrival of this alien who was to join our class for a whole week. Apparently, his ongoing research on high school students from all over the globe had brought him to our school.
From a distance, I was quite intrigued by David. I was hardly ever around foreign people so it was natural for me to find him fascinating. He had a strange accent and an uncanny body language. I found this amusing! However, when at the end of the day the teacher announced that I was to help David for the rest of the week, I was appalled.
My bus ride home was spent thinking about how I could possibly work with David. To make matters worse, I already felt awkward around him and I was sure that he could not relate to me. Plus, he was from a different culture and was from a different country altogether. These thoughts kept on occurring to me.
The next day, after considering faking sickness to miss school, I decided that I would give the task a try. David was there to greet me when I reached the class. I had planned on speaking little and replying only when questioned. However, his friendly conversations made it unable for me to maintain my silence. As the day progressed, I started to find his company quite pleasant.
I soon realized that we had a lot in common. He shared my interest in blues rock and enjoyed playing the guitar too. We both loved watching soccer and we even hooted for the same teams! I was also intrigued by his lifestyle in the UK and his cultural activities. David himself wanted to know more about my way of life and was rather interested in learning about our cultural rituals.
When the week ended, we shared our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch. I also gifted him a traditional 'Dhaka Topi', an oval shaped Nepali hat, which he happily accepted.
After my encounter with David, I started to become more interested in foreign cultures and make new friends of different backgrounds from over the world. I am continuing this habit and have found the information I acquired through these endeavours to be highly valuable.
Thanks in advance for the future feedback(s) :)