Blog 5:

A theme I noticed had to do with familiarity, or the degree to which I knew or could predict a person. It seemed as if every time I saw them we were becoming more used to each other. We were starting to understand each others' body language, even though language was still a barrier.

This experience will help my future interpersonal interactions in that I've learned that different isn't necessarily that scary. You can become familiar with others whose culture is different than yours. There are simply things you have to understand first like their mannerisms, ways of addressing others, language, and other characteristics of culture. Once you have a grasp on these things, or at least know that they are as different to you as you are to them, it'll make it easier for you to communicate with one another more effectively and respectfully.

Blog 4:

During my second to last visit to my Nepalis family we encountered other people. World Relief had been able to relocate our family to another place near their relatives. A nephew of hers spoke English very well, though he was young, he'd spent three years in the US and knew the language. When he spoke Nepalis and English he did a lot of code switching, or speaking a different language depending on the individual. I noticed whenever he spoke to us he automatically switched to speaking in English, but the second he turned to a relative he switched back to Nepalis. He was also very formal when speaking to us, but more casual when speaking to his relatives. I noticed this in the words and manners he used when speaking to us in contrast with the relaxation he projected when speaking to his family. This changed after about an hour of conversing and he became more informal with us. I also had a very large sense of familiarity being with them, or the degree to which the circumstances were predictable or known to me. The family joked, laughed, and played around so warmly it was hard not relax. Though I am not Nepalis, their warmth and way of interacting with one another reminded me of my Mexican culture and family. This is why I was able to relax, know, and even predict some of their behavior, even though I didn't know their language.

I already knew a bit of code switching due to me being able to do it with English and Spanish. However, now I'm more aware of how other people do it and in the future I'll be able to understand that it's very common with people who can speak different languages. I will also be more aware of code switching for other things like prestige and social status and how they're shown in terms of manners, politeness, and words. I've also realized that I can have more familiarity with others from different cultures and languages if I try to find things or behaviors that are universal or related to my cultures.

Blog 3:

During my fourth visit to my Nepalis family we had an easier time trying to communicate. I had a sheet of phrases that a friend had given me. They were words and phrases translated from English to Nepalis. When I started to read them off to the mother she immediately brightened and started speaking back to me. Or trying to. I realized that I was pronouncing some of the words wrong and she would correct me. My phonological skills were off because I wasn't sounding out the letters and words correctly. This meant that sometimes I'd say something that was so far off their actual word, all she could do was start laughing. She also misunderstood a couple times that I tried to say a word in Nepalis. I also noticed that for several phrases, social hierarchy and respect was shown. Respect was shown with different words according to who you were talking to. Respect was also shown in terms of social hierarchy, or addressing people from different statuses. For example, when speaking to an older person the Nepalis use one word and when talking to someone younger they use another. This shows the strict social hierarchy and respect shown in words for the Nepalus culture. She tried to explain the differences and circumstances under which each would be said. Of course, I couldn't understand much of what she said, but paying attention to the context of the situation helped me understand what she was meaning to say.

The phonological concept applied in this situation helped me understand how important it is. It showed me how just a slightly different sound can make a totally different word. It also reminded me to try harder when pronouncing another language's word so that I'm not misunderstood in the future. I also know now that social hierarchy plays a large role in other cultures, much more than I'm used to. Knowing that words can reflect a futures stand on showing respect has taught me to next time listen to the meaning of words and phrases to better understand what it means to show respect in that culture.