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Yager Bomber’s Blog

Yager Bombers’ Blog:

From our culture assignment our group learned how people from different nationalities function in different ways. Although we acknowledged that many of our moral and ethical principles are quite very similar and nearly identical. Since the different cultures we observed were all living in the united states we had felt it was not justified to make this assumption absolute at this time. We were drawn to the conclusion that if we were to conduct business with people or companies from these nationalities, mutual respect, honesty and fair dealing would be the best approach. They are attributes that we have seen to hold true with people from all around the world. Mutual understanding of the parties is also something that we have deemed necessary to carry out business in a global fashion. This can get confusing because in different cultures gestures and use of the same words may have different connotation leading one or more parties to be misled. One of the few potential barriers we have seen from our relatively short culture interactions was that of language. Langue is key to communication and can make people frustrated and not want to conduct potential business. With that being said if one wishes to conduct some sort of business with a culture from a different country, research should be done and proper preparation such as a translator on your computer should be present just in case. Although this may be necessary even for conducting business with different cultures found within our own nation. Since our group decided to explore many different cultures individually, and then come together to compare and contrast, it opened our eyes to one main realization; As we enter the global business world, we will be working with so many different types of people who have different backgrounds, different traditions, and different morals, so it is very important for us to always learn and respect the different cultures we will work with. One of us specifically went to one event with four main different nationalities, this was an excellent example of how diverse business conferences and meetings will be for us as we excel into the global business world. The other two members of our team attended Chinese martial arts classes. We think it is very important to admire the techniques and rituals of these other countries. Specifically, the concept of yin and yang has reminded us how important it is to have balance in all aspects of our lives whether its family, friends, academics, relationships, sports, or business. Also, we discussed how observing the Chinese culture will help us in the long run as China is a major player in the Global economy, it is inevitable that we will all be working with the Chinese in the future. Overall we as group took full advantage of the learning opportunity this project provided us with. To restate our main takeaways from this project, we learned and were reminded that our future relationships will be extremely diverse, we must be open to change and be respectful of cultural differences. We must not let barriers such as language prevent great people from connecting. Lastly, we must keep balance in our lives such as the ancient Chinese philosophy of  yin and yang.

James individual blog:

The activity that I had participated in was the fiesta day in Ybor on February 23rd. Other known as a flag day, this was a festival in which many different cultures came and set up tents for food, activities or artifacts of their own culture they wished to share with the Tampa bay community. The main cultures I had observed was the Italian, Puerto Rican, Mexican and a little Japanese. I participated by eating food of different nationalities and sparking conversation to observe differences in communication between these nationalities. Although I have met people of these cultures before, this is a new experience for myself because I have never before been to a cultured festival in which people bring the most significant items to represent their heritage as a whole. Although the culture was accurately explained to me by representation, I felt as if there wasn’t enough of each individual culture to make drastic allegations of each individual nationality but to contrast of the several that was present as a whole. At this particular event everyone was happy spending time with their friends and loved ones. The clashing of languages and music was one to be herd as every hundred feet you walked down the street had felt if you entered a new country. Throughout my time on interacting with these different people quite a few things had stood out to me. One was that the Italians were very loud and almost obnoxious. However, they managed to be quite friendly with an outgoing personality. Another thing that stood out to me is how many of the Spanish nationalities were quite sarcastic and liked to joke around. They were also very big advocates rice any many of the males were smoking a hookah. Overall the festival reminded me of New York city, due to the vast variety of people present all minding their own business. The smell of the festival was utterly amazing. From sauces to a wide spread availability of chicken dishes, the air was tainted with deliciousness. Due to this smell I reacted in a way that had made me gain about ten pounds in a measly two hours. The festival made me feel very happy and welcomed due to the great spirit of people from all around the world enjoying the spreading of a little bit of their culture with the community. I suppose I had these reactions because I myself enjoyed the festival just as much as those who created it. The aspect of the cultures I was most successful with was defiantly the edible proportions of what each nationality had offered. Throughout my life I have loved eating food from all around the world, so this festival was right up my alley. I had even managed to find some dishes that I have never seen before nor could I announce the name of them. However, the main aspect of the cultures I had seen today that I have struggled with the language barrier. Lack of understanding what I was trying to ask them and or what they were trying to tell me was difficult and frustrating. It made them lose interest in the conversation and truly did act as a major barrio between cultures. If I Had the chance to repeat the festival, I would have brought a set of prepared question to ask several different nationalities in which I could compare and contrast the responses of each.  Thus allowing me to really be able to differentiate the finer aspects of each culture. Another thing that I would of done if I had the chance would be to not eat for a week and get my stomach nice and ready.

Dylan Carter Individual Blog:

On Saturday February 23rrd I had the opportunity to observe a Tai Chi lesson at Wah Lum Kung Fu of Tampa on Rome Ave. This was a very new and interesting cultural experience because not only have I never seen the actual practice of Tai Chi or Kung Fu or seen the inside of a martial arts studio, but I wasn’t even completely aware of what exactly Tai Chi and Kung fu was or how it differentiated from regular karate. The building was very unique and had a strange smell upon walking in. Both the inside and outside of the building is different than anything you would normally see in our culture, from the architecture of the building to the Chinese decor covering inside and out. Throughout the building there are many dragon portraits and statues that symbolize power, strength and good luck in the Chinese culture. I felt a little uncomfortable at first because I felt out of place in an environment I’ve never been exposed to before. When we entered workout room of we were greeted by an elderly man, the Tai Chi and Kung Fu instructor. He welcomed us in with open arms and seemed happy that we were interested in his practice that he is clearly very passionate about. He welcomed us to sit in to observe classes anytime and requested that we didn’t take pictures during the lesson. When you think of Tai Chi, you probably picture people fighting aggressively with unique wild moves. It is actually more relaxed and involves more meditation than you would expect. The instructor heavily emphasized the use of concentration, breathing techniques and properly using your energy to your advantage. The training methods are said to be very effective in creating a strong body and mind. The moves he was teaching didn’t seem as quick and aggressive as the karate moves I imagined and have seen in the past. They were slower movements with more precision and balance. The instructor shared cultural stories with his students throughout the class that were very interesting to hear. There were only six students in the class, two women and four men, all middle aged adults who seemed very interested in the culture and practice. I think an aspect of the culture that I was successful with was keeping an open mind in really trying to understand what the culture includes, its importance and its main attributes. If I were to repeat the experience I would have done more research to come in with more knowledge about Tai Chi, Kung Fu and their culture itself to deepen my understanding even more. I don’t think I would consistently practice this art or ever want to use it because it doesn’t have much importance to me or relevance in my culture, but it was awesome to learn about. Overall this was a great experience that really taught me a lot. I appreciated the opportunity to look into a different culture and way of life that I’ve never really seen before. I would definitely recommend this experience to others because there’s a lot more to this culture than just what than average American would see in the movies.

Eric Sullivan Individual Blog:

On Saturday February 23rd, I actively observed and partially participated in a Tai Chi class. This building offers both Kung Fu and Tai Chi lessons and is located on Rome Ave in Tampa, Florida. This was a completely new experience unlike anything I’ve done before. I pass by this building everyday going to and from campus and always joked around with my roommates about going in and taking a class, and finally this project gave me an excuse to really go in and do it. Upon opening the main door, you enter a room with an old musky smell littered with Chinese artifacts and knick-knacks. At first, I did not feel immediately welcomed, as the woman in the front room was on a phone call and quickly shewed me away into the large workout room. It was there where I felt extremely welcomed by an elderly male, who was the instructor of both Tai Chi and Kung Fu classes. The old man was happy to see a new face expressing interest in his classes. He told me I am welcomed to sit in on any classes and watch for free anytime. He preferred I did not take any pictures of the class in session or of himself, so I respected his wish. I was however able to snap this photo of the inside when he was not looking. The photo is a small example, but certainly does not express how sentimental this place really is. Taking this felt like I went back in time 100 years to a small Chinese village and it felt like I was really there. Although Tai Chi is a fighting art, it was rather peaceful and relaxing for most of it. The instructor stressed that concentrated breathing and properly using your energy are the most important aspects of battle. With that being said, a lot of the class consisted of breathing and balance exercises to get warmed up. He often talked about yin and yang, he said “inhale, exhale”, “Fight, Rest”, “Expand, Contract”. I liked how he talked and told little stories throughout the entire class. He was here to teach us not only moves but also explained how these techniques are to be used all throughout different aspects of life especially love. It was not all meditation, there were times where he showed a move and people would practice them. They were very unique and at times looked like orchestrated dances. To be completely honest I couldn’t see myself using any of the moves shown in a confrontation, but that could be because I was only observing one class. The instructor saw I was dressed in athletic wear so he allowed me to do some warm up exercises and push-ups. I did not pay to attend this lesson. There were only six other people in the class, they seemed to be in the ages of 35-45, two women and four men. I felt as if this particular building and perhaps the art in general is underappreciated and does not intake a lot of money, as it is a place of business, I feel as if it does not have many years remaining unless something is done about it.