That’s incredible how you can learn new things in just two hours when you share with a foreign person! You can know even more than doing a research about culture and that’s what happened to me last week. I had the opportunity to share with Joanna, a woman from Texas, USA, who came to my class and share with us cultural aspects from this state and how similar it is to Costa Rica, my country. Some of the most important aspects I found out are the followings:
1. First, something that really caught my attention was to know that Texas was an independent state many years ago (I didn’t know that!), so that’s why people from Texas are very independent and they are quite different from the rest of the USA citizens.
2. In Texas, there are very strong family ties like here in Costa Rica. They know about their family roots, they share time and have family reunions during especial occasions like birthdays or Christmas time. That’s different from other states where families just stay in their homes and share between them. In Joanna’s case, she told us that her family moved from Germany, and since they settle in Texas, they have been taking care of the family cemetery and church, and that’s how they have learned who they ancestors were and where they come from. This point was really interesting, that’s really nice when your family tries to teach you who you are and never forget from where is the blood we carry inside.
3. In Texas, as well as in any other state, they have a lot of immigrants who come looking for the “American dream”. The reason is almost the same of many cities which people have given the prototype that in big cities everything is perfect and you are going to have better job opportunities and a better life. But sometimes it can be true, sometimes not. Besides, because of that immigration mainly form Latin countries, Spanish and English are taught in schools, so kids are getting involved between both languages and cultures.
4. Finally, one aspects that had no idea which is happening in Texas right now is the “unwritten rule of Texas” as Joanna mentioned, which is “Black people are not allowed in this state”. Can you imagine that? In this century where the equality of human rights has been a point of discussion between countries, and there are still places where black people is neglected by citizens and even when their own president is a black man! For me that’s unbelievable, but it is true.
I loved listening Joanna in our class and we talked with her about Costa Rican culture too and we found similarities in infrastructure, weather, family ties and some other aspects. But there is something in which all of us agreed; we must value everyone’s culture, and if we are not able to understand it, at least what we should do is to RESPECT.
Thanks Joanna for sharing with us.
