When it comes to culture, every individual has his or her own view of it. How each and every individual perceives it is absolutely different and may at times be unrelated. I have come to value and appreciate culture in a way that I never knew actually existed. Culture opens a path for all of us to understand and respect each other in order to create peace and unity. Without culture we may not be able to understand each other or even learn about what makes each and everyone of us similar in many ways.
At my community placement, although I have not had the opportunity to meet and interact with majority of the workers in the building, the few times that I have had the pleasure of meeting some of them have had an impression upon me. At first glance we as individuals may place a certain ethnicity upon individuals based upon their appearances. We may also come up with certain characteristics or personalities of individuals base upon their looks or their speech. For instance when I met some of the workers in the building that I worked in I introduced my self and when asked where I was from I stated that I was from Africa. In my mind I didn’t expect them to know my country so when when furthered question about what part of Africa I was from I stated that I was from Ghana, which is located in west Africa.
Although this individual that I was talking to may have knowledge about my country, I assumed she may not due to the fact that others who have questioned me about the same topic did not know. I however do understand that I was in the wrong. Later during the conversation I found out that the individuals as well as my supervisor have actually spent quit some years in my country. As you may notice I had already come to the notion that these individuals may not know much about my country just as others may assume other things about me when they learn that I am from Africa.
Also going into this community placement, I did not expect it to be a laid back environment with everybody going about their business but still making sure their work is done. My co-worker and I came to this realization couple days into our first week at the placement. Our supervisor also confirmed this and communicated to us that he doesn’t believe in a work place where there is pressure and someone over you all the time making sure the work is done. The atmosphere in this building carries over to the dress code of the offices. Some individuals are more dressed up while other prefer some jeans and a shirt to match. The age difference in this building is also noticeable. Majority of individuals are well over 30 years of age. However age does not play a role in what goes on in the building.
