Strategies for Making Cultural Inferences--D-I-E method.

For my CORE 200 class I had to approach a cross-cultural interaction using the D-I-E (Describe, Interpretation, Evaluation) method.  Here goes nothing:

I will be the first to tell you that I am a busy person, and that most of the time I love having a packed schedule.  For instance, Thursday night I went out to a club and then early Friday morning to Saturday afternoon I was on a field trip with my school.  When I got home that afternoon, I napped and then went out to the club again.  In the morning I went to the beach and then later that night Christy and I had dinner with our language partners.  When I came home it was about 10:30 PM, and I decided to go to sleep because I planned on going to kickboxing class at 7:00 AM.  When I came back from the gym this morning, my host mother greeted me at the door.  She asked, “Did you sleep here?”  I told her yes, but that I had gone to an early workout at the gym.  She then said something in Spanish along the lines of, “You’ve been to the clubs, the beach, and the gym.  You’re never here.  Do you ever rest?”  I don’t remember my exact response to her, but I’m sure I said something along the lines of “I’m young, I’ll be fine.”

Doña Patricia lives alone, and from what I have gathered, she has lived alone for a long time.  She has never mentioned any men she has shared her life with, although I know she has had relationship(s) with a man (maybe more) since she has four grown children.  She keeps to herself a lot at the house, and has told me about trips to visit her father down the street and some visits with her grandchildren on the weekends.  Maybe she is worried that my fast-paced lifestyle isn’t healthy.  Or maybe she thinks that do not appreciate her hospitality because I come and go so often.  Or maybe she just has never met someone as active as I am.

I’ve gathered cultural information in my efforts to better understand the situation: 

First, I’ve gathered that family time is very important here.  Doña Patricia has mentioned missing some of her children and grandchildren because they have moved to the United States.  My friend’s host family always gets the extended family together for a meal at least once a week.  Another friend has mentioned doing things with her entire host family on a regular basis.  Family is important in the United States too, but I feel like things are different here.  My family spends time together, but we are also very independent people who do our own thing on a regular basis.

Second, nothing here is rushed.  Waiters don’t give you the bill until you ask for it.  They let you stay at the table for hours on end if you want.  Nobody goes out earlier than 10:00 PM; why bother if you have literally all night to party and have fun?  At home, my friends and I enjoy going out earlier, come in earlier, and get a decent amount of sleep.

Because of the lack of a cultural value for monochronic time, the importance of the “siesta” is stressed.  Time is not necessarily of the essence, naps aren’t just for children, and resting is just another activity for the day.  Granted, I am in college and a lot of my friends in the States take naps, I have never been keen on napping and don’t know many “grownups” who take them.

Personally, I felt judged when Dona Patricia confronted me in the doorway this morning.  I do not want her to think I am rude; I am used to a fast-paced lifestyle.  My own parents have commented on my busy lifestyle before, but for the most part I am on my own and they don’t bother me about it.  Plus I have become accustomed to “living on my own,” as both my roommate and I are in and out so often, that we do not run into each other much.  

Study abroad has provided me with the opportunity to push myself to look at multiple perspectives.  I have pushed myself into uncomfortable situations; and I would say that my cultural background definitely causes my reactions to certain situations such as this.  Right now I feel stuck between two cultures:  time is of the essence, yet tomorrow is another day.