Cultural Frames in Erfurt and Bruges

Through the past week, as our groups experiences expand as we go through our study abroad program, we are experiencing new situations and lifestyles daily.  Through the means of cultural frames, I thrink each person is experiencing something new as an individual. We as individuals are more aware of our own personal realities and how new experiences affect us daily.  However, through our group we are able to reflect as a group and explain how these situation have impacted us and allow us to have a better understanding of new cultures.  For example, Hailey and I on our way back from Bruges, we talked about how we noticed how different people in Bruges acted in comparison to Erfurt and Amsterdam.  At the samet time, we talked about how we each reflected on our own experiences in Bruges, where I was a bit ill and tired, I focused more on the activities that I was involved in during the day, while Hailey discussed how she explored Bruges with Ashley and she noticed simple things that felt different than in America.  For example, at one point she talked about how you do not see that many people smiling through out the city, where she believes in America, we are smiling more often.  At the same time, I noticed a different in Europe and American drinking styles.  In particular, one night, we as a group decided to drink and play games.  While I am a more casual drinker who prefers to drink during conversations, it seems to me that more Europeans are more like that rather than Americans we are drinking to get buzzed.  Recognizing how we as individuals differ in how we engage in a social atmosphere tells a lot about the motives behind our engagement as well as cultural frames in different context.

Now when discussing how each one of our group members are embracing new cultures, we have to loot at Greet Hofsterd's Cultural dimensions.  I think I have been kind of a little different from the rest of the group.  When in Erfurt or Bruges, everyone wanted to do something a little different, but they stayed in a group, while I sometimes prefer to go out as an individual.  During the entire time we were as a group during our scavenger hunt, I wanted to go out on my own to find everything that was on the list.  Not because I wanted to be seperate from the group, but rather, I knew that not everyone wanted to do the stuff I wanted to do.  It was most shown when we went up the tower in the middle of the town square.  I wanted to see all of Bruges along with Ashley, but everyone else didn't want to wait in line for a view.  While, I would like to go with groups, I did find solice with a smaller group to enjoy little aspects.  This was mostly due to another element of Greet Hofsterd's Cultural dimensions of Uncertainty Avoidance.  I personally think I am low on uncertaintz avoidance because if I am unsure of certain things or peices of information, I tend to search for that information as soon as possible.  This would be most prevelent when I was in the French Fry museum and the torture museum where I would take some time to read the description of how these items were prevelent during its time.  Spoiler alert, french fries are alway prevelent.

However, the most important way of embracing culture is through communication.  Through Edward Hall's Communication Dimensions, allows individuals to have a deeper understanding of reasons why certain cultures act in a certain way.  Through high content low content means, understand of the meaning of words can differ than the understanding of a situation.  While some individuals might look at a situation and think it is weird, others might think it is part of the norm.  For example, one day in class the German students made point that patriotism is not really a thing except during the world cup, where in America, we embrace patriotic pride.  We as a group thought it was weird, but it is understandable.  A recent situation was when Hailey and I went to McDonalds and a man sitting next to us with his family kept starring at me.  At many points I felt uncomfortable when I purposely locked eye contact, but it might also be a situational thing or even a cultural thing where you should not be speaking english in public.  Maybe the guy just didn't like me.  Outside of these little expereinces, I still tend to walk around on my own to get a better feel of the culture.  I look around and minus a few things, there is not that much of a difference between Germany and America.  Maybe it is due to how some Americans are decendents of Germans, maybe it is because we are both Western societies.