This I Believe
I used to believe that respect was something what was given to people, not earned. Ever since I was a little kid I never really understood what respect was or how it was obtained until my family started traveling to other countries.
My family has gone on a big family trip to Europe once every two years since I was in 7th grade. I’ve seen the streets of Venice all the way up to the hills of Germany. We’ve taken planes, cars, boats, trains. You name it, we’ve ridden it. Every place my family traveled was incredible and beautiful and breathtakingly different from the next place. Although these cities and countries are different, they all have one thing in common: the people in these cities all put effort into speaking English and communicating with people that don’t necessarily speak their language. .
In America, earning someone’s respect is not as simple as attempting to communicate with them; you almost have to prove yourself. It is amazing how other cultures respect levels are so different. One of my best friends, Swetha, is Indian and even with something as simple as going over to her house for dinner, I realize a huge difference in respect among her family.
Her parents are traditional Indian parents and follow the culture as though they were living in India. I remember the first time I went over to her house for dinner; it was a formal sit down dinner. The conversation was very polite and restricted and everyone used really good manners. There was traditional Indian food which I have never had before; I ended up loving it. There were spices and appetizers that I
had never even heard of. .
I was obviously going along with the manners as well to be polite, but it was so different they any family dinner I had ever been to. At my family’s family dinners, everyone laughs and cracks jokes and is so sarcastic so this dinner was a quite a change. It all goes along with cultural difference and respect levels. India especially is known for being much more conservative then America. I have now been to family dinner with her on multiple occasions so I think her family is a little bit more laid back, but it is still a lot more formal than any of my family's dinners.
After experiencing all different countries and their cultures, my family has tried to gain basic knowledge about the language, culture, and respect before we even get on the plane.. As for my friend Swetha, I could tell that her family was very delighted that I tried to fit in and go along with their culture. Gaining that respect is the best feeling and it shows that a little bit of effort can go a long way. Next time I travel, I will be sure to brush up on the culture in advance, because when you put an effort in to learning another person’s culture, they really do notice, and i believe it really does pay off.
My family has gone on a big family trip to Europe once every two years since I was in 7th grade. I’ve seen the streets of Venice all the way up to the hills of Germany. We’ve taken planes, cars, boats, trains. You name it, we’ve ridden it. Every place my family traveled was incredible and beautiful and breathtakingly different from the next place. Although these cities and countries are different, they all have one thing in common: the people in these cities all put effort into speaking English and communicating with people that don’t necessarily speak their language. .
In America, earning someone’s respect is not as simple as attempting to communicate with them; you almost have to prove yourself. It is amazing how other cultures respect levels are so different. One of my best friends, Swetha, is Indian and even with something as simple as going over to her house for dinner, I realize a huge difference in respect among her family.
Her parents are traditional Indian parents and follow the culture as though they were living in India. I remember the first time I went over to her house for dinner; it was a formal sit down dinner. The conversation was very polite and restricted and everyone used really good manners. There was traditional Indian food which I have never had before; I ended up loving it. There were spices and appetizers that I
had never even heard of. .
I was obviously going along with the manners as well to be polite, but it was so different they any family dinner I had ever been to. At my family’s family dinners, everyone laughs and cracks jokes and is so sarcastic so this dinner was a quite a change. It all goes along with cultural difference and respect levels. India especially is known for being much more conservative then America. I have now been to family dinner with her on multiple occasions so I think her family is a little bit more laid back, but it is still a lot more formal than any of my family's dinners.
After experiencing all different countries and their cultures, my family has tried to gain basic knowledge about the language, culture, and respect before we even get on the plane.. As for my friend Swetha, I could tell that her family was very delighted that I tried to fit in and go along with their culture. Gaining that respect is the best feeling and it shows that a little bit of effort can go a long way. Next time I travel, I will be sure to brush up on the culture in advance, because when you put an effort in to learning another person’s culture, they really do notice, and i believe it really does pay off.