Exercise 7

portfolio exercise #7

Obama and Cultural Diversity

Watch this video:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20233064
 

Q1:How many aspects of cultural diversity (i.e. different groups or types of people) does he mention in his speech?
identity,appearance, race,nationality,age,native,ability,Financial situation,gay or straight

Q2:How many different types of people does he call on to work together?

 Black, white, Spain, Asian, native American, able, disable, young, old, rich, poor, gay or straight

Q3:Give the main points of his speech:-
 President Barack Obama was talking in his speech about hopeand the better future that await America.He was very hopeful in his speech.He mentioned that the better future will be achieved by trying to work hard and fighting for that better regardless of identity,appearance, race,nationality,age,native,ability,Financial situation,gay or straight.Then at last the president conclude that the ambitions of America are endless and the red and blue states are union to form united states of America.

Exercise 6

Compare Cambodian and Emirati values

Cambodia Customs and Values

Objective: To understand some similarities between Emirati and Cambodian Culture

Highlight in yellow all the values that are similar to Emirati values

A.   Traditional Cambodian values include a strong family identity and loyalty

B.   Cambodian-born people have a respect for culture and older people.

C.   Cambodian families tend to be very private and reluctant to discuss family issues or conflict with non-family members

D.   Stoicism is a highly valued Cambodian character trait, reducing the tendency to complain about their health or services they are receiving

E.   Modesty, particularly for women, is very important

F.    Visitors to Cambodian-born people’s homes are often expected to remove their shoes, however they might not ask

G.   Accepting of food and refreshments when offered may break down barriers, open communication and build trust

H.   Cambodian-born people regard touching people on the head or pointing feet or shoes at them as offensive.

I.      Cambodians consider it impolite to make eye contact with someone who is older or considered a superior

J.    Cambodians have a tendency not to question instructions or authority

K.   ‘Yes’ may be an ambiguous response to a question or request, and does not necessarily indicate agreement. Reponses that might mean ‘no’ include; no response, changing the subject, or statements such as ‘it’s OK’ or ‘no problem’ or even an unconvincing ‘yes’

L.    It may take time to develop working relationships, trust and rapport

M.   Loud or over-familiar behaviour towards others is generally not favoured.

N.   Cambodians tend to avoid showing anger or getting involved in confrontation

O.   Cambodians prefer to be addressed using their correct title. For example Mr, Mrs and Dr

P.   Women traditionally retain their own family names on marriage or they may have two surnames. Cambodian names are traditionally written with the surname first, followed by the given name.

Q.   Cambodians may not recognise their names if they are pronounced incorrectly

R.   Cambodians may not always address people by their name

Task: Compare Cambodian and Emirati values

-It’s interesting how Cambodian and Emirati values are similar to each other even though the 2 countries are way far from each other. in my opinion values are important to any human been as the values shape person humanity and who he is actually more than its shape someone nationality.Values like respect, loyalty and strong family identity are in both combodian and emirati important values thats fundemetal to any country and society.so that’s why values are similar in the two countries.

Personal Reflection 4

The Benefits of Travel and Taking a Gap Year 

A gap year is constructive time out to travel in-between life stages. It usually means travelling, volunteering or working abroad. Often it means all three. A gap year is a 12 month break from study taken by some students before they start their degree, to help them gain work experience and valuable life skills.

Advantages of gap year:-

-Enjoy a once in a lifetime experience and a real personal adventure.

-Travel the world and discover exciting new countries and cultures.

-Step outside your comfort zone and get a new perspective and challenges.

-Meet new people and make friends for life.

-Take a break and return refreshed and re-focussed on what you want to do in life.

-Add unique experience to your CV helping you get into future jobs.

Disadvantages of gap year:-

- leaving your study for a year may have a great influence on your life in many different areas. For example you have to accept the changes in the education system and the foundation you built before.

- If a person didn’t plan for gap year carefully, gap year might be waste of both money and time.

- Traveling abroad give a person the feeling of loneliness.

In UAE I think not everyone know about gap year. And I think emaratis have wrong understanding of gap year. For most of youth in UAE after school means that either continue college degree immediately or find a job.The concept of gap year is not known a lot in the UAE.I think gap year is important if a person planned for it correctly. Volunteering or working abroad will be great experience for young emaratis as a gap year. The Gap Year concept I think it should be introduce to emaraties at the last year of secondary school to let them chose there next step in life.

For me I took a 2 Gap Years from secondary to college. I went to work as technician for Gas Company (Gasco) in the largest gas plant in the world. I kind both regret leaving studying and likening the experience of working. Although I didn’t used my two gap years to travel outside but its totally new experience for me here in my own country. It’s like traveling but from being teenager to a man. 

As a person those two gap years taught me to depend on myself. I learned that each stage of life won’t easy be like before where parents involved solving my problems. I learnt that each stage of life is a challenge which has advantages and disadvantages which I should live with wither I like it or not. I was very depressed about leaving education for 2 years for some compelling reason Compelling reason like I had bad teenage and I hadn’t have enough money. Because education it has a momentum. If u breaks this momentum u should go back to zero which is very hard to build again.

Personal Reflection 3

Stereotype, Prejudice, Discrimination and Bias

 Discrimination

While I was growing up I was watching TV a lot. Because back in the days internet and computers were new technology and it was not in every home yet. I learned a lot of both bad and good things from TV. First time I learn something about discrimination was by watching Palestine being occupied by Israel. The Arabian media and news were all over the occupation. I thought that Israel took over the land of Palestine at that time by vicious ways of killing Innocent people and destroying buildings and houses without any sold justification. The discrimination was against Palestine because that Palestine was near Europe which contains a lot of biased and prejudiced Jews, weak country, Islamic country and because it’s Arabian country. That’s what I first witnessed and learned from media and school about discrimination.

 In the UAE large percentage of houses has maids in them. Those maids in some houses considered somehow as a second mother. Because both the wife and husband are busy. I’ve seen a lot of maids been discriminated and overworked because they are considered as low class human being. And I think maids realized that long time ago. In any period of her job any maid can easily be dangerous on any family. If Maids want to hurt a family because of discrimination she can do many bad things like poisoning the food, hit the babies, children’s and old people and do black magic. I’ve witness all those things about maids and I have heard worst. I think this is unsolved problem until now and I hope the country find a solution or some sort of monitoring.

Prejudice

Prejudice usually starts by a negative impression or prejudging on certain person or group with or without reasons. I have some rules that I made for myself .some of them are prejudice like “no one is worthy of trust. Even the family” which is in my opinion is very true. I always believed that both love and friendship with anyone is already “broken relationship” so eventually I will deal with either relationships and I know they are broken. I usually things like ’’all girls are bad at sports’’, "all teachers are mean" and ''All boys are bad at art''. All of them are wrong because they generalized everyone not individual.

Stereotype

Generalizations about all members of a group, both positive and negative.

I usually heard that:-

-         “All Arabs and Muslims are terrorists”. My thought: Very wrong.

-         “Italian or French people are the best lovers”. My thought: Well Not necessarily.

-         “All Asians like to eat rice”. My thought: True!!(Most of them).

-         “All Irish people are drunks and eat potatoes”. My thought: I don’t know about that, I don’t think it’s true.

-         “All Asians are good at math”. My thought: Am Asian and am not that good at math.