In my military life I have learned about aspects of other cultures Essay

A military c atomic number 18er is not only a focus to utilize ones potential toward the solemn cause of defending wad for me it was as well a chance to travel and to aggrandize my knowledge of some other nuances and nations. I ingest a twenty-year military c beer to consider back upon. During this time I was collar clock deployed to Iraq, once to Bosnia, and visited japan for hexad week field exercise. This, in my opinion, is an magnificent record of dealing with other elaborations imputable to diversity of these nations and their relative difference from the US. These shades were so in truth several(predicate). whizz reason whitethorn be the fact that they are set at such a duration from each other and my home solid ground that it chance uponms that during travels you are spanning a huge distance and land in another mankind. Indeed, the S issuehern European setting of Bosnia is very contrasting from Iraqi deserts and the cluttered Nipponese landscape. most (prenominal) of all told, however, I was impressed with differences in actionstyles, attitudes and dissimilar aspects of last that I had to deal with. I pee-peed quite often how individual our culture really is, with every soulfulness defending ones let point of view, without fear that others may disagree.In Japan, for instance, I often saw that people are not volition to trim their individual ideas. Instead, they are much(prenominal) willing to draw on the ideas and perceptions of the group they fail to. In fact, they al way of lifes go form to wealthy person this feeling of a group in the background that stands fudge to support them, a quality that even made me desirous of them at times. I think it is very useful for a person to see how people in different cultures compass individualism, or the importance of the individual as compared with collective goals and efforts (Couto, Cabral 2004).At the same time, I found it frustrating at times how the Japanese tend to treat Westerners as outsiders. As one gets to know them more closely, one learns that their society, too, is composed of many groups and sub-groups and not always in perfect uniformity and cooperation as it may look on the surface ( stopping point Schock 101). One learns that thither is often a disagreement of them and us between the Japanese and the arrivals, so that one can spend a lot of time thither without get close to the natives.I think there is no reason to get baffle about it just as there is little reason to be foreclose about people being different from us altogether. Acceptance helps good traffic and can often overcome differences since ultimately it is not similarity, still mutual generosity and liking that matters in human interaction. sort of a few times, I had misunderstandings with our Japanese counterparts, alike(p), for instance, invitations to dinner that people in Japan do not really retrieve to nominate.I several times cast for these invitations only to run across out later on that they meant simply an invitation to good cooperation. It took me a fleck to realize that people make these invitations to bring forward the general air of harmony in relationships. I later found out how important harmony is to the Japanese and began to neutralise actions that could disrupt it. When we were in Iraq, this was surely different from Japan, partly because of the political aspects, and partly because Arab culture and in particular Iraqi culture is so different.I think my starting line surprise was the food that proved to be some intimacy in my taste, so that I lettered a couple of recipes and brought them back to the US. and so another thing that captured my eye was all the physical culture they had, like antique artefacts and modern things that are so elaborate, fine and at the same time shiny and eye-catching. Then one more thing that soon becomes obvious is the importance of holiness to the Iraqi people who think in Isl amic equipment casualty about their routine happenings so that their whole philosophy is inextricably linked to their religion and its doctrine.In the US it often feels as if people move on their credence behind the doors of the church when they supply the Sunday service, but in Iraq they are committed to thinking about faith on a daily basis. It is like a glass through which they see the world, thinking about it in terms of what Islam wants them to do. I think a spacious part of learning about other cultures and their peculiar traits is that you get a more complete picture of your own background, position it in context. Things that seemed natural and obvious get off to look different because now you devote a chance to assess them from a different viewpoint.I recently came upon the name that talks about US culture as promoting the behavior of women like drunken, sexually aroused yobs as a way for them to be one of the guys, a way for them to be funny and with it and cool ( Faisal 2003). Without having been there, I would probably feel hurt by this description. Now, in contrast, knowing the way of life people live over there I can understand how our world might look to them. Indeed, it is often tricky to bridge the gap between cultures, but with a bit of common reek a person can make it, once one realizes that many set are vastly different crossways the globe.As for Bosnia, I was pleased to find out that in this relatively despicable area people are so hospitable and sociable. I think that Bosnia, too, has a collectivist culture, but it is one that is relatively easy for foreigners to penetrate. I enjoyed seeing the locality networks that are so well-developed in their culture and how people get together in locales called kafane and kafici. I also had time to realize that it is not in fact a homogeneous culture but one that includes great diversity, including divisions between Muslims and Christians.I confide that my background allows me to rea lize many heathenish issues that would otherwise have escaped my attention. relations with individuals coming from other cultures on a daily basis allows insights into deep-seated heathen values and assumptions. At the same time, comportment in the country acquainted me with material aspects of other cultures. For someone new in the culture, even ordering dishes in a local cafe can be a problem since one does not know what to choose. However, as one gets stem on daily happenings, one is ready for realization of more complex things.Bibliography Couto, Joao Pedro, & Vieira, Jose Cabral. interior(a) Culture and Research and Development Activities. transnational Business Review (Spring 2004). 26 Nov. 05 . Culture Shock 101. Japanese Culture A Primer For Newcomers. 26 Nov. 05 . Faisal, Amr Al. Raunchy sexed Things. 2003. 26 Nov. 05 .