Reflection of Wintergerst and McVeigh's Tips for Teaching Culture: Practical Approaches to Intercultural Communication :: Chapter 1. Exploring Culture

Ever since studying abroad, I've started to realize that culture was more than what I see, feel, hear, etc. It finally hit me when something incredible happened one time while I was studying abroad in Taiwan. This was how the story went:

It was a a national holiday called 國慶日 (guóqìngrì). In English, it is the Double Ten Day. The reason is because the day falls on October 10th (10/10). The year I went to Taiwan, that day fell on a weekend. My grandma came up to the Taipei city to visit my uncle asking me if I would like to join and bring a couple of friends. Of course, I did. I brought my roommate and my friend from class. 

My grandma packed two full suitcases for a weekend trip. I wasn't sure what she brought, but I guessed it might've been her makeup, fancy clothing, shoes, etc. My grandma once told me to always dress my very best to show respect among others (Wintergerst and McVeigh's norms on page 13).

Little did I know later that the two full suitcases were full of gifts (mostly fruit, pastries, and snacks that can be preserved for a very long time). I wasn't as shocked as my friends were. All of the gifts (mostly food) were for me, my roommate, and my friend. We all ended up carrying more things back to our dorms than we left!

That was when I started thinking why my grandma was so generous. Does she want anything in return? Was she expecting anything from us? I thought to myself.

It wasn't until I realized later that giving gifts is a norm showing that you care one another. The more you give, the more you care. In my case, my grandma really really cared. 

This is story is one of the many I know that has made me think about culture differences. I started to think about the "hidden" culture. The culture that isn't easily seen or noticed. From Wintergerst and McVeigh's book and Patrick Moran's Teaching Culture, I learned about culture being like an iceberg. There is a part that is seen (above water) and another part that isn't seen, but is there (below the surface of the water). My "hidden" culture is actually true!!

After reading this text, something that got me confused was the big C invisible and the small c invisible. The text wrote:

"Big C culture is often described as objective or highbrow culture, or as the institutions that people have created. Big C visible culture includes a culture's literature, classical music, architecture, historical figures, and geography, whereas big C invisible culture includes core values, attitudes or beliefs, society's norms, legal foundations, assumptions, history, and cognitive processes, according to Peterson.

Little c culture, on the other hand, is often described as subjective culture, as people's everyday thinking and behavior, or as the common traditions, practices, and customs of people. Little c invisible culture, according to Peterson, includes popular issues, opinions, viewpoints, preferences or tastes, and certain knowledge such as trivia and facts, whereas little c visible culture includes gestures, body posture, use of space, clothing styles, food, hobbies, music, and artwork" (p. 9). 

 Little c invisible includes opinions, viewpoints, preferences or tastes. Big C invisible includes values, attitudes or beliefs, society's norms. To me, those elements sound the same. Attitudes and beliefs are pased on one's opinion and viewpoints. How would you differentiate the two?

I really appreciate how Wintergerst and McVeigh brings up activities for students to share about culture. I hope to make sure activities like these are seen often in my classroom. One question, though. It could be an insignificant question, but it's something I would like to ask. For each of the activity, would the teachers have to mention that they are about to do a culture awareness activity?

旭亨