Cross-Cultural Blog

What did you know about the Far East of Russia before you got involved in this project? Did this project break any stereotypes you might have?

Sean:

I knew a bunch of random facts. There are huge Tigers in that region, the biggest in the world. There also expanses of forest and as far as I know, the culture is a mix of Russian and Northern Asian influences. I didn't have many stereotypes in my mind because I know very little about the Far East of Russia except for some of its history.

How do you feel about the international policy of the US? About international policy of Russia? What do you expect from your new President?

Chidozie:

A lot of United States foreign policy regardless of the president is attempting to maintain the status quo. We still see ourselves as a hyper power (or the only super power whichever) and behave as if money and military will get everything done. What characterized the Bush Administration's foreign policy was a disregard for international opinion on American actions. This culminated in entering Iraq without UN support or sanction. What the US is doing is what most countries do when they think they rule the world: they constantly work to push their own reality on the world.

As for Russia, they're still recovering from the loss of superpower status i think and are dealing with their huge size at the same time (problems Russia has had since forever). They still have to shake the image of corruption and mediocrity especially in the eyes of Western investors and the best way to control such an image in the end is to control the media. Russia-US relations seem to depend on how much the US is willing to talk to Russia about its actions as Russia seems to be reacting to the assertion of American influence in East Europe. I think Russian foreign policy is mostly focused on maintaining and building their political power base so that Russia can have the clout to have an influence on the world in ways that don't rely on nuclear weapons.

I expect Obama to try and mend the gap between us and the rest of the world because with the exception of countries like the UK and Japan, we've managed to push the world away and act like we don't need it. A long way towards achieving this goal is finding a way to fix and maybe even restructure the American economy. Since the American economy has great impact on people around the world, making sure that the American economy is fixed and stands on solid ground is a key step in relations. Working to solve this problem and others with the rest of the international community will allow us to remove a lot of the tension in the world.

Why do you think volunteering is important in your society?

Rachel:

Good question! I think volunteering is important for many different reasons. First of all, and most selfishly, it really can make you feel much better and it can really help you put your own life/problems in perspective. Second, especially in our society, we tend to have a disconnect from the world around us because we are so dependent on technology and so goal oriented. Although those things are great, volunteering allows you to make real human connections and get outside of the ego-centric world that we live in. Finally, and most obviously, it's just important to help people!

Do you think that masculine values, such as assertiveness, competition dominate in American culture? What do you think of feminism?

Cybelle:

In my opinion, American culture does incorporate many traits that in other cultures may be considered "masculine." However, for us they no longer cling to a particular gender - rather, they are more or less expected of both genders, although to differing degrees.

I am mostly speaking from my experience comparing American and Japanese culture, so I do not know how Russian gender roles compare to those in the US. However, from my experience, Americans tend to be more open, forthright, and openly confrontational than Japanese people. (You might argue that Japan is weird and doesn't really represent the rest of the global community, but bear with me). I think that Japan is in some ways at least as oriented towards competition as the US - I do not consider "competition" to be a "masculine value," really, and ranking is really far less important in America than in Japan. In America, creativity, style, innovation, etc. are valued above raw numbers much more so than in Japan, so I don't feel like "competition" in that sense is as big an issue for us. Americans make up for their deficiencies in measurable skills by emphasizing the value in things that can't be measured.

This applies to both men and women. In America both men and women swear and compete and are open about their feelings/stand up actively for their beliefs, and strive to be creative, whereas in Japan both men and women are expected to express their opinions in a more tentative/subtle way, to be more polite/cautious/round about (although Japanese men can at times be pretty rough speakers), and to excel in their endeavors (without bending the rules).

In both cultures, however, women are expected to be less aggressive and more polite/tentative than men. However, in Japan the difference between genders is way larger than in America. So, really, I think women are a lot better off in the States. I think these so-called "masculine values" are not inherently masculine at all - they are the values held by people that strive for power and success, and because women have been traditionally barred from positions of power in many cultures, women are perceived as innately having less of these values. I feel like I'm able to be myself better in the States than in Japan, because the so-called masculine value of expressing one's opinion overtly fits my style much nicer. I also don't wear make-up, and I would be really depressed if people expected me to in the work place, like they do in Japan - my value in the work place ought to lie in more than my personal appearance, after all. So, I guess you could call me a feminist.

As for American guys - yeah, I think they experience a lot of pressure to be more "masculine" than they probably would be if they grew up somewhere else. Not being a guy, though, I don't really have much to say about this.

If you had chance to go to study abroad what country would you pick and why?

Katherine:

I hope to study abroad in Santiago, Chile next year. I am originally from San Diego in Southern California and live about 30 minutes from the border of Mexico. I have taken Spanish classes but am not yet fluent, and would really like to become fluent in Spanish. For me, the choice was between Santiago or Madrid, Spain. I chose Santiago, because I want to experience the culture, but also the natural beauty of the country and surrounding area. I hope to be able to backpack and do many outdoor activities while I study abroad and experience South America. I have yet to spend time and travel in Europe, which I hope to do soon, but for studying abroad I really hope to explore the areas, and the outdoors, rather than experience the city life at this point. Traveling and experiencing other cultures and countries I believe to be very important, especially for the younger generations, so we become more open minded and understanding of where other countries are coming from. Maybe someday I'll get to visit Russia!

What is your city/ place famous for?

Sean:

My city, San Diego, is famous for its beaches and relaxed culture. San Diego is a haven for surfers and backyard barbecues and is a great place to enjoy the sun and the ocean. San Diego also hosts a world famous zoo and aquatic center (San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World). My city is also known for its relationship with Mexico as Tijuana is right across the border. We see a of cross cultural experiences and also get to enjoy a wealth of Mexican foods and cultural aspects.

What would you like to improve in the place you live in?

Amanda:

I live in Covina, California which is a suburb of Los Angeles and I would love to improve the educational system. In my graduating class in high school, I was the only person to even apply for a college like Stanford University. I know many very bright people in my graduating class, and I believe that with the right tools, people would be more prepared to go further than a two year college. With my mom being a vice principal at a middle school, I have learned about many problems in the educational system starting from preschool. Unfortunately, much of the problem lies in George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy. In order to fix the system on a local level, we will also have to reform the system on a national level.

Do you have a job? If yes, where do you work, and how does it help you to prepare better to your
professional career?

Jaslyn:

I have two jobs right now -- both tutoring. I am a Peer Writing Tutor at Stanford's Hume Writing Center. I work a lot with undergraduates at various points in their writing processes for essays, application essays, etc. I also tutor a severely learning disadvantaged sixth grader one-on-one three days a week. I have no intention of teaching as a career -- at least not directly. Because I enjoy teaching and writing, they are jobs that are pleasant for me as I try to pay my bills, but I don't want to make a career out of it. Tutoring has definitely been valuable in instilling self-motivation, communication skills, analytical skills, and organization, however -- skills that are easily exportable into any career. I study Earth Systems (with a minor in Creative Writing) and don't yet know what I want to do with that major after school.

How do you, personally, contribute to the development and prosperity of your native town?

Jaslyn:

I do not contribute to the development or prosperity of my hometown. I’m from San Rafael, CA, a suburb of San Francisco. I feel much more connected to San Francisco to the south and to the wine country to the north than I do to San Rafael. I went to high school in San Francisco; I rode horses up north in Petaluma; I slept in San Rafael in between. Because I was far more connected to those two other communities than to San Rafael, it isn’t surprising that my outreach efforts were there. In San Francisco, I volunteered with an educational outreach program for public school youth— California has one of the worst public school education programs in the United States. In Petaluma, I worked with public health. Maybe someday I’ll feel invested enough in San Rafael to try to contribute, but all my efforts are usually geared towards places and communities I feel a part of.

David:

My hometown, Dallas, Texas, is in the 4th largest “metropolitan” area in the United States, home to over 6.5 million people, so it’s difficult to contribute just as one individual to the overall development and prosperity. I found that my high school’s community service program reached very far and wide, and I participated in projects including: boxing food at the local food bank, serving meals at a homeless shelter, setting up an auction for a non-profit organization’s fundraiser, and more! We would collect gifts every year and donate them to the Salvation Army, which would distribute them to underprivileged children in the area.

The most important contribution I made in my volunteer work, however, came out of my time in the Boy Scouts. One of the requirements to become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank, is to complete a Leadership Service Project. For my “Eagle Project,” as it is commonly referred to, I designed and built an observation tower for the Cedar Ridge Preserve (formerly the Dallas Nature Center). I did have two obstacles: 1) the site was about 1.5 kilometers from the nearest power source, and 2) the site was about .5 km from the nearest truck access. After procuring all of the materials through donations from local organizations (a process that took 6 months), I assembled the entire tower in my backyard, using bolts to keep it together. I then disassembled it and took all of the materials to the Preserve, where my fantastic volunteers helped to carry the lumber .5 km to the site. We reassembled it over three weekends, then it was done! I cannot count the number of people who have told me they heard from someone who visited that observation tower. The final structure still stands today, high on a hill overlooking a reservoir, the top platform adding 10 feet to the viewer’s height.

Do you use ICQ or any other instant messaging? The role of Internet communication tools in your life? The role of computer technologies in your life?

Katie D:

I used to be on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) a lot. I started using it in eighth grade, and stopped using it daily in tenth grade. Now I hardly ever sign on -- in fact, I have forgotten my password. Now, I mostly use e-mail to communicate with my friends, although Facebook can be quite useful if I have a quick message and/or don't know someone's e-mail or phone number. E-mail is very useful and easy, but it isn't nearly as nice as 'snail mail' (hand-written letters), so I still write letters to friends and family for special occasions. I have, sadly, become somewhat dependent on my computer. It has all my schoolwork, all the access to my friends who are not at Stanford, all my to-do lists and calendars. Computers play a big role, and although it would be nice to break free from them they are incredibly useful and probably won't be going away any time soon.

What makes you feel proud of about your country?

Katie J and Lucy:

America upholds ideals of democracy, which allows for peaceful transitions of power and full representation of the citizenry. We are founded on principles of natural rights to life, liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. Even though we may not always realize these values, they constitute a moral compass for those who want to create change. The judicial branch of our government operates in order to maintain peace and order in honor of that higher principle for which the law was made. Freedom of speech and the ability to openly criticize those in power without fear, the freedom to organize from the grassroots as well as the freedom to express our religious and cultural backgrounds: these are freedom we hold close that are protected by our justice system. We pride ourselves in how our founding fathers built this country from the ground up by resisting unjust oppression and establishing moral equality. Although sometimes we as a country take backwards steps in terms of justice and equality, we have clearly made huge strides forward, as evidenced by the election of our first African-America president, Barack Obama. America is a place of opportunity where social change is possible, and the freedom to dream runs strong.

Carolyn:

Personally, I am enormously proud of the majority of American voters who elected Barak Obama
to the presidency. This was a vote for change and an expression of hope after years of fear and cynicism. I am proud that we now have a leader in President Obama who will begin to repair our poor global image, initiate more programs to better the lives of all, not just the privileged few, and invest, finally, in a more sustainable future.

Chris H:

When my mother grew up near Philadelphia, our country was in a time of strife. The southern states had been segregating and subjugating members of the African American race for nearly a hundred years, since the end of slavery. Even by the middle years of the 20th century, in the northern states, racism was by no means absent. On the contrary, it was a very real part of daily life. The United States was divided, essentially two nations. African Americans everywhere were forced into their own communities, where they lived, shopped, even went to the bathroom.

Now, thanks in large part to the courage of bold individuals willing to stand up for equality at great personal sacrifice, we’ve elected our first African American president. The freedom that this nation’s constitution gives its citizens to protest wrongdoing and injustice allows us to work to overcome our problems together. I’m proud to be a part of a place in which social change this monumental in scope has been possible in a mere few decades, a place in which opportunities now exist for all willing and capable people, not just for those of a certain color.

If you were president of the USA, what changes would you make in the system of education?

Lucas:

A lot needs to be done to improve education in the US. There is a very high dropout rate in high schools, which I think is a pretty good marker of how well the system is doing. In education, I see two main questions: what do you teach, and how do you teach? Deciding what to teach is complicated and many people have their opinions, but one area I think we need to improve is science and environmental education. Next, figuring out how to teach. Luckily, there are lots of people working on this, but unfortunately, they are not well publicized, and their methods haven't been widely adopted. Here are a couple of needed things: A system of training really good teachers is needed, and schools where teachers work together and learn from each other, creating a positive, motivating, supportive culture for students would also be an important part. This is all not to mention that schools are underfunded.

What is a life long learning for you? Do you try to constantly develop yourself as personalities and how?

Dave:

That¹s a pretty loaded question and I could probably write a thesis on this question alone, however I¹ll answer with my most current “work in progress.” Something that I am trying to develop is my ability to gauge my time to determine what commitments I can actually handle and be effective. Often times, I find myself enthusiastic and excited about being involved in different organizations, initiatives, and teams, yet over time these commitments spread my time thin and threaten the credibility of my involvement. I often worry that this habit will form the foundation of my career, something that has the potential to combat my ambitious goals.

Do you agree that an individual has to be an author of her/his own life? What do you understand as life strategy? Do you have one?

Heather:

I think this can be somewhat subjective to someone's life situation. In general, people have control of their lives and the ability to make their own decisions. However, people who are handed difficult life situations, particularly poverty and traumatic childhoods, it is often seemingly impossible for you to write your own life. You kind of end up being stuck in the situation that you were born into. This is not to say that opportunities do not exist for people who live in poverty, but these are much fewer and farther between. It is also very difficult to overcome many of the hopeless feelings that a difficult childhood brings, even if you are very intelligent, and have the ability to do great things, you often lack the confidence or support of others that such progress requires.

A life strategy would depend on the person. I see it as a plan one implements to reach their goals, others may see it as perception or a way of viewing life. Being of a more pessimistic nature, I don't think that my perception of life constitutes a life strategy, so if anything, I would say that my life strategy is more like a set of plans, each one a stepping stone to my goals of being a research physicist and teacher.

What is beauty, in your understanding?

Dave:

Beauty in my understanding is the stasis of pure simplicity. It resides in the moments where we find our personal dilemmas and misunderstandings eclipsed by a profound connection to our senses. The sight of an inspiring scene, the embrace of a loved one, the taste of a good meal, the sound of a comforting voice, or the scent of a familiar experience allow us to truly focus on our ability to make things tangible, and our ability to attain perspective through this tangible connection. It is my understanding that everything contains beauty; it is my desire to align my senses accordingly.

Owen:

Beauty has many meanings for me, but I think that I can generalize to say that beauty, to me, is anything that seems to involve a depth of feeling. I guess there are two large categories of classifying beauty for me: those things that are man-made and those that are natural. In terms of man-made objects, beautiful things are those that I can tell took a craftsman a lot of effort and, beyond that, a lot of emotion to complete. A big building can take years to build, but it is not beautiful unless it is the physical manifestation of the architect's passions and dreams. A painting is just an array of mixed pigments, but it can be beautiful if the artist painted his own life into the work. The Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty are beautiful because they symbolize the hope and spirit of an entire people.

In terms of natural beauty, I think it is a much broader category. I find most things in nature to be beautiful, simply because they are pure and simple. I think time is a major factor in beauty in nature. A smooth river rock can be beautiful simply because we, as humans, are in awe of the immense amount of time it took the powerful forces of nature to form such a smooth, round object. I, personally, believe that nature is inherently beautiful.

I guess a final category, and one that you guys may be most concerned with my opinion about, is human beauty. I think that each and every person has a different perception of what they view as beautiful in another person. I believe in that cliché, inner beauty. I think someone can be pretty or handsome on the outside, but beauty is a term that describes someone's entire being, their looks, attitudes, and mannerisms all included. If someone is very pretty but has a terrible attitude, for example is really stuck up or mean to those around them, then I don't consider that beauty. On the other hand, if someone is an average-looking person, but they are selfless and kind to all of those around them, I would be much more likely to call that person beautiful. Don't get me wrong, physical appearance is definitely an important factor, but, for me, I wouldn't consider it more important than their other personal qualities.

Do you believe that that there is a convergent global culture emerging nowadays through globalization or, in opposite, divergent cultural trends prevail?

Bridget:

The perception of “global culture” of citizens in different nations depends how globalization has affected the lifestyles and education of those individuals. For example, economic globalization has created a dependency for certain third world nations to exports goods. With this need of immense amounts of labor, only a small portion of the population are able to receive higher education, furthering the gap between the rich and the poor. Therefore, some people and places may be resistors against the system they are born into and the actions of the nations and companies who promote these affects of globalization, and in turn diverge into a distinct cultural identity. An inverse example would involve “globalization of technology”, which has resulted in the spread of knowledge and a creation of a forum for global conversation. Citizens who are fortunate enough to have access to the Internet, attend school, and participate in video conferences with people from a different continent are more likely to witness the positive outcomes of globalization and therefore through exposure are converging as members of a global culture.

Chris F:

I had a teacher in high school who introduced me to this book called "Jihad vs Mcworld" - which I think is the same discussion you are getting to in your question about converging vs diverging cultures. If we take a linear view of history and "progress" - we see that people tend to aggregate and identify with larger groups as transportation/communication and even coercive technologies improve. The rapid globalization of the later 20th century (increase volumes of trade, tv, internet, etc) has arguably accelerated this even faster.

Globalization is the Mcworld -Mcdonalds, Microsoft, Financial Crises - driving the world to a homogenous global culture.

The antithesis to Mcworld is the backlash movements which always occur - the best case today would be radical Islam. Facing the rising tide of a global culture that they had little say in creating, disaffected peoples will cling to their old customs and cultures even tighter - making some areas intensely tribal and factious, like Iraq or Afghanistan today - they can hardly aggregate into even a nation wide culture, let alone a global.

So your question is: is Mcworld or Jihad going to win?

I have decently high confidence that Mcworld will be the trend - the world will continue to diverge on a single culture. However, I have much less confidence that it will continue to do so on its current trajectory of one dominated by Western (European and American) values and ideas which most of the rest world, possibly you as well, fears. Rather, I think Asia (particularly China) eventually is going to be calling the shots. Chinese words will creep into common language, Indian businesses will be supplying your dinner.

Side note: One thing that might slow Mcworld is the financial crisis. Countries are likely to be more protectionist after the current recession/depression? is over - and cultural identities may benefit.

How does a financial crisis influence your life? What do you think are the impact of it on your country? What do you think will happen to the international financial system in the future?

Christine:

The financial crisis has definitely influenced me personally because my dad used to work for Merrill Lynch, one of the companies that basically fell apart as the economy grew worse. As a result, my family has become a lot more careful about spending and about taking things for granted. As Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and other investment banking companies went bankrupt or were bought out, my dad said that work felt completely alien for him after 20 years of relative routine in the financial industry. I think that many people in the country are going to become more responsible about spending as a result of the crisis, and that government oversight of companies (especially banks) will increase greatly. People seem to be looking back on years of “greed,” evaluating where mistakes were made and where companies were irresponsible or overoptimistic. Right now, the overall mood is pretty pessimistic. I think that in the future, companies (especially those receiving government aid) are going to need to be much more transparent and that windfall profits/excessively large salaries will be harder to come by as everybody tightens their spending. In terms of the impacts on the international financial system, it is obvious that the worsening economy is impacting people all throughout the world. I think that this crisis has highlighted for all countries that at times the government needs to play a role in regulating the economy. At least for now, the “free market” system has been somewhat suspended in favor of government bailouts and loans. I think that this will probably become an international trend, at least until the world economy improves substantially.

Heather:

The current financial crisis has had little impact on my life in general. Now is a great time to be a student and be working towards a degree. Since jobs are harder to find, getting a degree will make me a more desirable job candidate in the future, and hopefully, by the time I am finished with school, the worst of the financial crisis will be over.

Had I not been in school it is hard to predict if they financial crisis would have hurt me much. Before coming to Stanford I worked at a real world, "low skill" job, waiting tables. I didn't make all that much money to begin with. I suppose that I would be making less tips and have less hours if I were still waiting tables. Considering that I lived paycheck to paycheck before the crisis, I might be hurting now if I was still a working stiff. People who make very little money are often feel the most impact in a financial crisis. They have little to no savings to rely on and small cuts in pay have an even larger impact on them.

I hope that this financial crisis will cause people to rethink the way in which they live; to be more resourceful, save money, scrimp where they can, and pinch pennies. Unfortunately, we live in a credit based system, and I don't see many people making life changes in this direction.

I also hope that we as consumers will call for more translucency in the financial system, as well as a simplification of rule and regulations so that we can all understand our individual financial situations. Hopefully our government will also enact regulations that will protect consumers and require more responsibility of the financial industry.

I feel that the international system will only continue to become more entwined. With countries more and more reliant on the markets of other countries. This is both comforting and frightening. Comforting because other countries have a stake in how we do financially and thus will not want us to fail, but frightening in that a domino effect like this crisis had could have an even larger impact.

Tri Hung:

The financial crisis does not really influence my life at the moment, but will probably change my plan in the next few years. I personally feel that we (the world) are not going to get out of this mess any time soon, so the prospect of finding a job after graduation can be a little bleak. I am therefore planning to stay in school a little longer, preparing myself for doing graduate school, perhaps even getting a Master or PhD. The direct influence on my life right now is that I have to study a little harder and make up for those bag grades I got during my freshman year. That means there is less time to watch youtube or day-dream.

The impact on American society will be profound. I believe this will be the beginning of a major change in American lifestyle. People will have to spend less, save more, and be contented with a more frugal life. Bigger is no longer better. Also, there is the prospect of losing its global influence. I believe Russia and China, and even India will play a more important role in the world settings now that Americans have to pay more attention to our domestic affairs and less on global issues.

As for Vietnam, where I am originally from, the financial crisis is a good test for all the economic
and social progress we have achieved in the past two decades. We will see what is working and
what is not, and gearing towards a more sustainable system, both in terms of economic and
political development.

The financial system will get back to its feet after some time. However, the culture of Wall Street
and other financial centers will change. They will no longer the stars of the business world, and
will not receive those obnoxiously huge monetary benefits. The new regulations will make life
harder for the traders and analysts working there, but they will bring in better stability in the long
run. However, the up and down cycle of business will ensure that new crisis and challenges will
come, just in different forms and under different circumstances.

As you can see, I believe the financial crisis will be a challenge for the world, but they will
provide an opportunity for us to get better and ready for future challenges.