Arrington Middle School

Last term I went with my honors program to Arrington Middle School to teach underprivileged children in science subjects. We went once a week for about 6 or 7 weeks and taught various courses on chemistry and physics. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I went to Arrington. I figured it would be just like any other basic middle school, but it would be mostly comprised of lower class students instead of middle class or upper class students. I did, however, expect them to be bored out of their mind just like I would have been back in middle school. My first assumption was definitely false. The school was lacking in many essential aspects. I realized this when I went into the bathroom and saw no mirrors, paper towels, or any form of hand sanitizer. I figured they would at least have the basic essentials for sanitation. As soon as I saw this I began to wonder why this was so. I used deductive reasoning to come up with an explanation for their lack of basic essentials. Since property tax is what is primarily used to fund education, I assumed the poverty which is prevalent in the Arrington community must have bled into their schools. Due to the low property tax since their property is of low value, they must not have the sufficient funds needed to supply everything for their schools.
My second assumption that they would be bored out of their mind was definitely true. They were just like any other kids in school, but they just happened to be at a school that was poverty stricken. The kids varied in their participation, but it seemed like most of them were slightly interested in what we had to say. They didn’t “reject” school like most people think poverty stricken kids do. I think the tendency for kids growing up in poverty to have low scores can be attributed largely to their substandard education. I felt privileged to have the opportunity to teach these kids, and give advice for high school and college to the ones who would listen. A concept that I recognized during my time at Arrington was social stratification. The underlying factors of a stratified society can be seen at Arrington. They had an unequal opportunity for education which leads to an unequal opportunity to gain power, wealth, and prestige to an extent. From seeing this first hand I realized that America is definitely a stratified country. I didn't expect to blog on this so there's no distinct picture of me. You can, however, see my handsome leg in khaki pants in the top picture.

Push Camp

Over Spring Break I went to Camp ASCCA in Jackson’s Gap, Alabama to help renovate the camp’s buildings and make it generally more handicap accessible. Camp ASCCA is a camp specifically designed to fit the needs of handicap people of all forms and ages. The various activities at the camp are tailored to let people who suffer from any ailment participate in all events. Our job was to help make the camp more safe and fun. Ages of people at the camp range from 5 to 83. My fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, has its own philanthropy called Push America. Push used to be an acronym for People’s Units for the Severely Handicapped. As the acronym might hint, the philanthropy specifically targets making places more handicaps accessible. Within Push America there are many activities and events that you can do. I chose to do what’s called Push Camp. Push Camp is where you spend five days of your Spring Break constructing and renovating buildings and play units. Other brothers from the fraternity came from places as far as Indiana to join in a good cause (and to go to Panama City afterwards). Projects ranged from building a deck for a water slide to lopping thorns bushes in horse pastures. The work was hard, but in the end it was extremely gratifying. The highlight of the trip was a visit from an elderly home for mentally and physically disabled people. The visitors had a wide range of ailments, but they were definitely a lively bunch. When they came to the camp we broke up into groups and did various things such as basketball, putt putt golf, and fishing. After doing these activities we all met up in the gym to hang out and dance. After talking to some of the visitors, I began to realize they were like normal people who just wanted to have equal access to fun. Upon realizing this I got instant gratification for the work I was doing for these future campers. Talking to them really did help dispel my preconceived notions that they were less outgoing and less prone to have fun. This, however, I found was far from true. Look at my video if you don’t believe me. Some anthropological concepts I used were the emic perspective and cultural relativism. I used the emic perspective by getting them to tell me how their lives were different and similar in general in comparison to ours. I used cultural relativism to understand the disabled community through their own terms and not viewing their lives from my perspective.

Sojourns

On Monday I took a trip to visit the Sojourns Fair Trade Store. Upon going I had no clue what the store was going to consist of. I personally thought it was going to be a food store, but what they sold was far from groceries. Items ranged from small jewelry to decadent picture frames and miscellaneous stuff of the sort from countries outside of the U.S. Sojourns is one of the few stores that advocates fair trade. By this I mean they exchange goods based on economic and social justice instead of the typical American way of bargaining. Before this experience, I never knew a place of the sort even existed in Alabama. On their brochure it reads “The key goals of fair trade are to empower low-income, disadvantaged artisans, laborers and farmers around the globe, and to promote understanding between them and industrialized nations.” Organizations such as Worldfinds employs these artisans, laborers, and farmers so they won’t be forced to go into factory labor or starve. Items came from places such as Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa, and Nepal. I read one of the personal stories of an artisan who stated that because of fair trade she did not have to work at a factory where they demand unreasonable hours and give less than sufficient pay. She said because she didn’t have to work at a factory she had more time to spend with her children and had enough money to support them also. Stories like this helped me understand the impact of the bargaining mentality, and it really motivated me to be more mindful of where I shop.
I definitely got more out of this experience than I thought I would. Like I said, I thought the place was a grocery store at first so finding out what it was made for a surprise and an educational experience. If anything it taught me that there are places where you can support anti-factory labor, and the stories brought it home how much stores like this one can make a difference in someone’s life. An anthropological concept that I used is the etic perspective. I asked the cashier questions about how the impoverished are helped by stores like this, and I also ventured to ask why some of the countries are so impoverished. Other than that I used participant observation, and that’s about it. This was the last of my required blogs so I’ll take the chance to say that I really did enjoy the culture blog assignment, and it was definitely a good substitute for a paper.

Salaam Namaste

Over the weekend I watched the Bollywood movie Salaam Namaste. The plot is based around an Indian couple made of young, aspiring adults who fall in love and endure hardships and changes within their relationship. I watched it with a Middle Eastern friend of mine who said the movie was really controversial since it was the first time a couple was shown living together and doing loving things. The movie, however, was one of the biggest box office hits in 2005 and was the biggest hit overseas of the same year.
My preconceived notions of the movie were that it would have a lot of traditional Indian clothes and other items, have a couple of corny dance/sing-song scenes, and be very conservative. The movie, to my surprise, was extremely Western in its choices of clothing. While it seemed to incorporate what I perceived to be the “Indian style”, the clothes were still like what every day, American young adults would wear. The movie did indeed have a bunch of corny dance/sing-song scenes. I personally thought it was hilarious to watch. Each dance scene would start with some deep voice saying a word like “cool” in an extremely cheesy way. I think I might have annoyed my friend with my constant mimicking of these words. Salaam Namaste was not as conservative as I expected it to be. Although nothing was really risqué, I guess the mild showing of affection within the movie might have been controversial in India. The movie would have surely been rated PG-13 at the most in America. Another thing I noticed about the movie was its clean comedy. There was never an outrageous curse word or a revolting act throughout the movie. It was honestly quite refreshing to see a hit movie not be filled with vulgarity. Although most of my preconceived notions on the traditional aspect of the movie were dispelled, I was definitely right about it being corny.
Some anthropological concepts I noticed while watching the movie were the emic perspective and ethnocentrism. I used the emic perspective by getting my friend to explain to me why aspects of the movie were seen as controversial. I thought I exhibited ethnocentrism because, as sad as it is to say, I felt my culture was “superior” since Bollywood was trying to mimic the Western culture in certain ways. Although the movie was very cheesy, I found it to be unintentionally hilarious because of the corny parts of the movie. I would say that I had a good time watching this movie. I enjoyed the movie, and I would definitely not be opposed to watching another Bollywood film.

Puerto Rico

Last summer I went to Puerto Rico to visit my brother. My brother is a helicopter pilot in the Coast Guard who lives in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, which is a rural town on the opposite side of the island from San Juan. Staying in Aguadilla instead of San Juan provided for a true experience of another culture, and I would say it was my first true anthropological experience. Aguadilla is filled with Spanish speaking Puerto Ricans. Besides the people in the Coast Guard and the occasional student, no one speaks English. I was lost in translation many times while I was down there. This trip was my first time outside of the states, and it was very different being the minority. I would say that I experienced a little bit of culture shock when I was in Puerto Rico. I definitely felt a little rejected by the Puerto Rican people and experienced a feeling of loss of familiar surroundings. The experiences I had in Puerto Rico were some of the best times I’ve ever had. The beaches were beautiful, the water was crystal clear, and the temperature always stayed in the lower 80’s, upper 70’s. While I was in Aguadilla, I spent most of my time on the beaches, snorkeling around reefs, and exploring the rural side of the island. The beaches seemed to always be busy, and the festive atmosphere made for a really good time. Food at the beaches was inexpensive. Local people would make food and sell it for very cheap. A plate full with chicken kabobs, potatoes, and a roll would cost only four dollars; however, if you ventured to find fast food or a restaurant the prices were the same as they would be in the states. I truly got to see the Puerto Rican culture on the beach. The Puerto Rican foods and playing of only raggaeton music gave the beaches that Hispanic feel. After staying in Aguadilla for a couple of weeks, we went to San Juan for a couple of days until my departure for Atlanta. San Juan is definitely the Americanized portion of the island. Everyone there speaks English, and the prices of everything is just as you would find in the states. However, the Spanish influence on San Juan makes the city a site to see. During the day we would tour the city, but at night the real fun would begin. Along with exploring the city, we took a trip to the rainforest. I had no clue that Puerto Rico had a rainforest so it was definitely a nice surprise. We hiked on the trails, swam down the rapids, and jumped off the cliffs as we went up and descended down the forest. It was definitely a great way to end my trip. Some concepts from class that I recognized were culture shock and ethnocentrism since I looked at the Puerto Rican culture from my culture’s point of view. All-in-all, my first true anthropological experience was a great time, and I will definitely go there again if finances permit.

MSA Spring Bazaar

Last Tuesday I went to the Muslim Students’ Assocation’s Spring Bazaar at the mini park across from Heritage Hall. This was a pretty interesting subject to me since it’s the only Abrahamic religion that I don’t really know about. Growing up in Daphne, I never had any contact with people of the Muslim religion. I had one Hindu friend and a couple Jewish friends, but besides them everyone was Christian or atheist. I used to see people of the Muslim religion on TV, and because most of them were of Middle Eastern dissent I naturally developed a stereotype that being Muslim was hand -in-hand with being brown. This, however, I came to find is far from true. Although the Spring Bazaar was managed only by people of Middle Eastern dissent, the Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion and is practiced by people of all colors and nationalities. Moreover, they stressed that the Muslim community is not a culture. The Muslim community is instead comprised of many cultures that individually influence their practices within the religion. For instance, the wearing of the head scarf is mainly a choice stressed by a culture, not by the religion.
After dispelling my preconceived notion of who comprises the Muslim community I decided to ask about the differences between Christianity and the Muslim faith. The main difference I was told is that they do not believe Jesus is the son of God. They do, however, acknowledge that Jesus is a prophet, and they do believe that he will be resurrected once Armageddon occurs. Another main difference is their source of religious guidance. Whereas Christians have the Bible, Muslims have the Qur’an. They stated that because the Qur’an has never been changed since it was revealed by the prophet Muhammad, it is a reliable source to look to for guidance. The fact that the Bible has been changed and revised so many times can make using the Qur’an a more favorable practice. Lastly, they said that the Muslim religion seems to be stricter on participation with their religious practices. Key components such as the five pillars must be practiced by Muslims. The five pillars consist of praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, going on a pilgrimage to Madinah, giving to charity, and believing there is no other God but Allah.
Some anthropological skills that I used were cultural relativism and the emic perspective. I used cultural relativism to view their religion and practices from a Muslim’s perspective which led to a better understanding of the Muslim faith. Using the emic perspective, I listened to their explanations for Muslim beliefs which taught me a great deal about their religion. The Spring Bazaar was an educational experience that really did dispel my preconceived notions of the Muslim faith. I enjoyed myself and the free food added to the experience.

International Food Fair

On Tuesday I attended the International Food Fair at the Smolian International house with fellow students Helen Block and Sydney Gray. All my life I have been for patronized for hating seafood, various Asian foods, and pretty much all vegetables besides potatoes, corn, and green beans. Hating seafood is particularly embarrassing since I come from a Coast Guard family and have lived around the coast my whole life. While reflecting on the times that I’ve tried Asian food, I realized that every time I dared to try something new it was at a restaurant. After realizing this I began to wonder if authentic food made from people within the culture would have a better effect on my taste buds. I felt that this opportunity would be a good way to venture out and push the barriers that my taste buds have set for me.
People from nations around the world showed up to serve their best dishes from their respective culture. India, Singapore, China, and Malaysia were all countries that I dared to try food from. I mainly chose these because of the disgust that I usually have for foods from these countries. I had a craving for chicken the whole time we were at this event so I decided to try chicken from around the world. The chicken from India was a little sweeter than I expected. Prior to trying Indian food, my preconceived notion was that all Indian food would be on the spicy side. The non-spiciness was actually a disappointment in my opinion. I then ventured to China to see what their chicken would taste like. Every time I eat at a Chinese restaurant I tend to get the sweet or tangy flavored chicken. The Chinese chicken at the food festival was consistent with the chicken at the restaurants. The chicken was indeed sweet, but they added potatoes to the dish which was uncommon in my opinion. I also tried some chicken from Malaysia. Prior to this food festival I never had anything to eat from Malaysia. Honestly, if it wasn’t for this event I probably would’ve never had anything to eat from Malaysia due to the lack of opportunities to eat food from that culture. The Malaysian chicken was filled with some sort of vegetable, coated with some dark sauce, and the taste kind of reminded me of some food that my mother cooks for me. I guess vastly different cultures can share the same kind of appetite. I can definitely say I got my fill of chicken at this event, and every kind was delicious. Along with the chicken, I got some rice from India to compliment my feast. When it comes to rice I am open to any kind from anywhere so this choice of food wasn’t pushing my boundaries. It was quite delicious though. I’d say that my preconceived notions of Asian food were definitely dispelled. I learned not to judge a dish by a restaurant, but by some good old home cooked food.
Some anthropological concepts that I noticed at the event include cultural relativism and possibly ethnology. I used cultural relativism to understand why a particular culture may have developed a certain “style” for their foods and why they eat the foods they do. For instance, there are probably a lot more chicken eaters in India due to the Hindu religion so that’s why they emphasized chicken and had no beef. Ethnology can also be seen within the food festival. Everyone was comparing the different cultures’ food; however, I don’t think anyone was looking for generalizations so I can see how that can be faulty. All-in-all though it was a very fun, food-filled experience that helped me to broaden my horizons and please my taste buds.

Safe Zone Dialogue

My experience with the safe zone dialogues was a very educational one. I think that it is crucial to provide a non-threatening environment when talking about sensitive subjects such as the LGBT community, and the safe zone dialogues did a great job doing so. I initially thought that the panelists were going to be defendants for their community, but they ended up being insightful informants. They answered every question with an honest answer, and didn’t seem to shun any other opinions if they went against their beliefs. The participants in the discussion approached the dialogue in the same manner which made for the non-threatening atmosphere. I was really impressed with how the dialogue was conducted. The fact that everyone was given a chance to ask a question, state an opinion, or pass led to a very structured and participative experience instead of a debate dominated by a few people. My preconceived thoughts of the LGBT community were pretty liberal minded. I’ve always thought that LGBT people deserve equal rights on all matters including marriage so I figured that I was going to agree for the most part with whatever comments they would have. Although my opinion of the LGBT community wasn’t changed, the panelists helped me realize how the unequal treatment toward them can lead to unnecessary hardships. They told a story of how someone’s partner wasn’t allowed in to a hospital room while their partner was on his death bed since they had no legal contract saying they were married. Stories like these helped to strengthen my views on the subject. They also emphasized that all the usual stereotypes of the LGBT community truly do not apply to everyone. They seemed to be pretty passionate about this which made me realize that a lot of people do naively believe that every gay male, for instance, is like Jack from “Will and Grace”. The use of the emic perspective is what I thought made the dialogue very educational. Like I stated earlier, their stories, opinions, and reasons for their opinions helped to show what it’s like to be a member of the LGBT in a heterosexual world. Also, approaching the discussion with a cultural relativist mindset provided for a better understanding of their community. All-in-all the safe zone dialogue made me weary of stereotyping a member of the LGBT community, and provided for a better understanding of the hardships and lifestyles that members of the community go through in life.

Allow Myself to Introduce Myself

Hello, my name is John Robert Williams, and I am as white as it gets. I'm a 19 year old, heterosexual male from Daphne, Alabama, who is getting a huge culture shock as it is from just attending the third most diverse university in the nation. I grew up in a fairly liberal immediate family who is linked to a pretty conservative extended family. The liberal aspect of my family is probably due to my father's career in the Coast Guard, and my mother's strong views on accepting and understanding people. My dad was born to a southern baptist family who is very strong in their beliefs. He still cherishes these beliefs, but I think his travels around the world has led to him being an accepting person instead of a close-minded hillbilly. My mother grew up in Houston, Texas, which is a pretty big and diverse city. She moved to Galveston where she met my dad while he was stationed there, and the rest is history. The background of my parents is in my opinion what molded me to become an open-minded person. Being in a Coast Guard family, I moved around a fair bit as a child. From city to city I met people who were of different ethinicities or held different beliefs. Seeing all sorts of cultures from the Atlantic to the Pacific helped me get a small understanding on how diverse this country really is. When I was nine, I moved to Daphne, Alabama, where I lived until I left for college. Daphne is a small city composed of mostly blacks and whites. Besides the occassional asian, there's not many other ethnic groups. I would say I'm a spiritual person who doesn't really believe in religion if that makes any since. I used to be a hardcore christian, but throughout the years I've drifted more and more away from religion. As for abilities and talents, I play guitar and I'm a soccer player. Those are my two main talents. Other than that I don't really excel in many other aspects. I guess besides that I don't have much to say. I'm looking forward to my cultural experience!!