Cultural Differences

What has happened since I have last written? Well, things are becoming more commonplace which is a good thing. I enjoyed the enthusiasm in watching World Cup Soccer in July. I love to listen to salsa and Creole music. I am enchanted every time I see the marinara performed (national dance) and I have gathered plenty of Peruvian recipes I hope to replicate someday. When I go across the street to eat at the Mollepata (restaurant) and have the soup, the chicken foot or chicken liver bobbing around in the bowl hardly raises an eye brow now. Don’t worry - you do not eat them. They are there for flavor.

I cannot say that I have fully found unity in diversity yet. I struggle at times. In Milton Bennett’s Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, I am probably somewhere between Acceptance and Adaptation. It is a challenge not to be frustrated with a culture who may show up unannounced, come half an hour to an hour early and won’t leave or show up when they were not even invited in the first place. The burden here is always on the host. Being an open and direct person, I can’t say that I will be winning any awards in the face-saving department found in the Peruvian culture.

In reference to a page from my orientation class way back last August '09, an American living in Peru is a good example of someone coming from a low context culture and living in a high context culture. As an American, low context culture, I am someone who is individually oriented. I ask questions in an effort to find facts and rely on explicit information to find a solution. A high context culture, found in Peru, is the opposite. There was an experience I had in hospice a few months ago that beautifully illustrated this point.

Last May, I experienced a conflict between low vs. high context culture when a co-worker in hospice was wanting me to work for her but did not want to directly request it of me. She had neglected to schedule off at the beginning of the month for her honeymoon (!) or was most likely wanting to have the time off with pay. Hospice workers are paid at the beginning of the month in a lump sum. In hindsight, I realized she was trying to ask me under the radar of the hospice director but it was not possible.

Initially, she started to talk about her plans and invited me to ceviche with her fiancé. Day 2 of hearing about her plans and yet another invitation, I started to see the writing on the wall and wondered who would be working with me in her absence. When I finally inquired if I would be working alone (open, direct strategy) she said she did not know, I would have to ask the director of nursing (ambiguous, indirect strategy). Naturally, a fact finding person (low context culture) , I went to ask the director of nursing who is Peruvian. He said he did not know anything about it either (ex. of high context - face saving and dealing with conflict by concealment). The director of nursing told me I would have to ask the director of hospice who unfortunately for them, happened to be American. Needless to say – I asked directly and when it was put on the radar – she did not go. I was later told there are ways to say no and that my indirect response should have been “oh, well I am sure going to miss you. I hope they will be sending someone to replace you.”

The disadvantage of high context culture is that it does take a long time to accomplish things and bring about change. This may seem tragic but in Peru, change is often not the objective. The emphasis is placed instead on the present moment and relationships. One rarely, if ever, hears a Peruvian say, “I am sooo stressed right now.” A phrase that is almost ubiquitous in American culture. Peruvians do not obsess over day to day actions and solutions.

There is beauty in the present moment and preserving relationships. I feel this is where I have the most to gain and the most to learn in the coming year. I am praying I can do this with some fortitude and grace. With God all things are possible. (Mt 19:26) One more year!