Sunday 14 January 2018

Assignment 2



1. DESCRIBE: Think of one episode that has left you confused or that you think was strange/different. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

-The first days of school were in a way exhausting and it took some time to settle in to the enviroment, mentally and physically. For the first week or so we bought enough breakfast food to go through the days. We only had a few hours of classes per day, only a couple of times a week so a good breakfast was enough for each day. The other reason why we bought such huge amounts of food in to our firdge, was that the meals they offered at the school cafeteria looked very unhealthy, it was basically fast food.

There were 2 different cafeterias in our school, both of them offering different variations of meals, but the theme was the same, which usually was fries, chicken wings, pizza and so on. Also the snacks they offered in the school was mostly crisps, soft drinks, chocolate and other variations of sweets.

2. INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?

-This is only my point of view and for that it feels like a huge thing if you compare these dishes to the dishes they serve in finnish schools. This might not be such a cultural ”shock” if i was to come to Scotland from, lets say the USA, where the school foods are pretty much alike.

3. EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

-Even if im sitting here, critisizing the food they serve to students, I too am part of the so called problem, due to the fact that it really was nice having a good slice of pepperoni pizza (cheap I might add), after a hard and exhausting day of school

2 comments:

  1. The food cultures have been a shock here in The Netherlands as well. I have classmates from 13 different countries, and we all have something to say about the food :D However, the Dutch are really used to the lack of meals during daytime, they don't really seem to think about it. So it can be a matter of perspective. Also I could make food in boxes at home to take with me, but I guess I am getting used to the local food and I don't feel like making the effort.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I never thought it like that, good post!

    ReplyDelete