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Cultural Experience
Name
Institution
Date
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Chinese New Year celebrations
As part of my cultural experience, I attended the Chinese New Year celebrations held in
Chinatown, San Francisco. Initially, I had limited knowledge about the event. However, my
Chinese classmate gave me a brief background before inviting me to the event since she attended
it with her family. What surprised me was how young people at the event gave money in red but
colorful envelopes (Otto, 2015). The decorations were also extreme across the event. I also
realized that the Chinese love the red color, which was their central theme (Otto, 2015). Apart
from the fireworks, the Chinese had also invested in firecrackers, which spiced up the event. I
enjoyed their meals and delicacies. However, I struggled to comprehend their language.
Lessons
During the event, I realized that the Chinese value the New Year celebrations just like the
Christians. Most of the activities they engaged in during the festivities were similar to that of
Christians. For instance, the Chinese would pray to thank their gods for the New Year (Otto,
2015). This is a common cultural belief among Christians. Most Christians celebrate New Year
celebrations in churches to thank God for the life journey. Apart from that, most Christians take
this opportunity to share gifts and money with the underprivileged. Despite the similarities, some
of the activities performed during the Chinese New Year celebrations were different from the
Christian New Year celebrations. For instance, the Chinese believed the celebrations gave them a
platform to fight off monsters (Otto, 2015). The two most significant values that I learned during
this period were the importance of sharing and forming good relationships with others.
Importance of CQ during the experience
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As much as I enjoyed the experience, I also struggled to comprehend the Chinese
language. However, my CQ was critical since it allowed me to be accustomed to the Chinese
beliefs, values, and attitudes, especially during the event (Pirani, & Smith, 2016). I was able to
understand the meanings of certain activities, including informed empathy (Pirani, & Smith,
2016). In other words, CQ was critical for me in finding common ground with the rest of the
people, more so the Chinese. In the end, I understood them, thus eliminating the communication
challenges that I had initially experienced.
Awareness of culture
After the Chinese experience, I realized that as much as a culture might be different, the
culture is usually integrated by the CQ aspect. Most cultures are generally the same; only that
specific beliefs and values typically separate them (Pirani, & Smith, 2016). This means that the
cultural difference aspect should not be an issue for individuals that are culturally aware.
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References
Otto, C. (2015). Celebrate chinese new year - with fireworks, dragons, and lanterns. National
Geographic Kids
Pirani, B. M., & In Smith, T. S. (2016). Embodiment and cultural differences. Newcastle upon
Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
