How Do American Adults Interact with Children?

It was very interesting to observe the role of American children in different places in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The first place where I had the oportunnity to observe the relationship between kids and adults was at my friend's house. Some of her cousins and their parents came over during Thanksgiving. The kids ages rank between 7 to 14 years old. I was surprised that kids were not playing just among themselves; they also played some games with the adults. I consider those children behave very good and get along pretty well with adults. They look more mature than kids in my country. I think Americans kids probably are too busy for being and acting as kids. They are not treated as kids, probably they have more responsabilities that make them mature earlier.

The other place where I had the opportunity to observe how kids interact with adults was in downtown Minneapolis, during the Holidazzle Parade. There parents standed close to their kids due to the nature of the activity ans that the place was to crowded. They look after their kids, but at the same time allowed them to enjoy the parade. Most ot them acted older and were not spoiled.

As a conclusion, I think the way parents treat their kids in American society is closely related to some important values in this culture: freedom and self-reliance. Since kids are very young parents teach them to be independent and allow them in many circumstances to make their own decisions. I consider the way parents treat their children has a serious impact in them because it strengthens these important values.

Costa Rican Families and American Families

As well as Americans, the most important thing  for Costa Ricans is our family. We love our families so much. We like to spend time together and talk about our lives. I have been in The United States 3 months and I have realized that for most of American families it  is difficult to get together. Americans are very busy most of the time. Another interesting reason that makes it even more difficult for American families to gather is that sons usually move to another state when they start attending college. Young Americans become independent usually when they are 18. In Costa Rica, we don't become totally independent until we get our degree. Parents economically support us and help us to pay tuition for studying in college.

Another difference is that most of the time, Costa Ricans take care of their parents when they are seniors. Not necessarily the older son or daughter of the family has to do it; it can be any of the sons. Contrary to this, Americans are so independent and when they have their own family they usually don't take care of their parents in their homes.

In regard to divorce, I would say it is very common in Costa Rica. According to the article “Los divorcios suben y los matrimonios caen” (Divorces increase and marriages dicrease) published by the journalist José Enrique Rojas in the Costa Rican newspaper “La Nación”, the rates of divorce had increased during the past years. In 1985 the rate of divorce was of 12 divorces out of 100 marrriages. In 2007, it increased to 37 or 38 divorces out of 100 marrriages. In addition, there is a very interesting phenomenon in Costa Rica, while the rate of divorce increases, the rate of marriages dicreases. I have no idea which is the rate of divorce in The United States, but I supposed it is more common in my country. I asked an American if divorce is common in the U.S and she told me that now it is more common than in the past. In addition, she thinks that one of the main reason why American families are more instable now is because of the influence of the economic crisis in the U.S.

Voting In Costa Rica and In The United States of America.

    Last tuesday I had the opportunity to observe the local political elections in the polling center located in Davies center at UWEC.  This process remained me in certain way and made compare it with the political elections in Costa Rica.  As well as The United States, Costa Rica is a democratic republic. In Both countries, suffrage is universal at age of 18.

    During the elections here the enviroment was really quiet. Usually, in Costa Rica it is very quiet too. 

For most of the people in both countries suffrage is a very important civil duty.  Here, the first step before voting is to present your personal ID.  Then, people receive a very long ballot that includes all the different political categories to be elected.  In Costa Rica, we usually receive 3 different ballots and they are not as long as the ones here.  Besides, in my country ballots include a picture of the person and a description of the party.  Another difference I saw is that in America, all the private polling places are so close one to another in a line.  In Costa Rica, they are separated by a distance of at least 5 meters.

In addition, here there is a machine for the people who want to vote electronically.  In Costa Rica, we do not have that system and probable we are not going to implement this technology in the coming years.  Besides after voting, here people deposit their ballots in a machine that count the votes.  In Costa Rica, after voting ballots are deposited in separated cardboard boxes.  When the election process finishes, votes are counted manually, so it takes more time to know the final results.

    During the process, I was surprised because some people who were supposed to vote in another polling place came Davies and registered to vote there.  I was wondering how goverment can avoid fraud if citizens can register twice? so I ask a lady who was there.  She explain me that penalties for people who commit fraud are really serious such as going to jail.

    It was really interesting to observe the political elections process and learn a little bit more about how people select their leaders in the United States.

Slavery Was not Abolished; Human Trafficking Is the Modern Trend of Slavery.

 

According to Nicole Lancette “There are more than 27 million of victims of human trafficking” when I heard that I was shocked.  The proportions of this worldwide problem are amazing. However, most of the people do not know anything about it.  This is the third largest and fastest growing illegal trade after drug trafficking and arms trafficking.

About 80% of the victims are women and 50% of them are minors.  By means such as force, fraud and coersion those people are forced to work as servitudes, child soldiers and prostitutes.  The demand for sex and cheap products are significant reasons that explain why the current cost of a slave is cheaper than when slavery was legal.

There are multiple causes of this universal problem, for instance economic reasons.  Many of those victims are promised better living conditions in another country.  For paying the costs of the trip it is necessary to make a loan.  When they arrive to their new “home”, they are stripped of their legal documents and it result imposible to pay loan interests.  In addition, the feeling of not wanting to help others and the social stigma of being poor are some of the cultural reasons.  It seems that uneducated people are very vulnerable to suffer from this problem and more likely to be punished despite of being the victims.

Simple acts such as buying a chocolate that was not manufactured by slaves can start the difference.  This serious issue should not be ignored.  If you thought that slavery was abolished more than a century ago you are wrong; human trafficking is the Modern trend of slavery. 

The ropes course

    The ropes course was an incredible experience to me. I really enjoyed, but it was more than a funny afternoon. As well that activity represented a great benefit to me as an individual. I learnt that I can trust in others and not just in myself. Trustfulness is essencial in all kind of relationships. Furthermore, I realized that sometimes good leaders should remain quite and hear other's opinions. 

 

     As a class it was really useful too. The ropes course was a perfect reason to get to know each other a little bit better. In addition, that activity motivates us to work as a team and to achieve a common goal. We did our best to complete every task and looked for alternative solutions. 

     Compared with chapter 4, this kind of activity is closely associated with inventiveness and can-do spirit. The whole group was very optimistic; for us every problem had a solution. However, there is an important American value that differs with this activity. We could not be self-reliant; instead we had to work as a team and trust each other. Every individual had a significant role.

 My friend Asya is a good example of the can-do spirit.

     I am not sure if there is something similar to this course in Costa Rica.  I think probably it is more related with the American culture and the can-do spirit that most Americans have.  I believe the ropes courses are a very powerful way to show leadership skills and work as a team.

How Would You Describe American Football to Someone in Your Country? Why Do Americans Love this Game?

After my first month experiencing American Culture I am going to try to describe as precise as possible an incredible and unique sport in the United States: American football.  If I would have to explain this sport to someone in my country, I would start saying that it is a sport full of adrenaline.  It is amazing to see a team of about hundred men in the court.  The players look like an army of ants in the field. Since it is a very rude discipline, the uniform players wear is very particular.  They necessarily have to wear a helmet and something over their shoulders.  The main purpose of this quirky uniform is to protect the most vulnerable parts of the body such as shoulders, face and head.

It takes time to understand the rules of this game; I think they are complicated.  The game consists of 60 minutes divided into quarters.  It starts when eleven players of each team are in the center of the field.  The team who has the ball should try to advance to the other half of the court where it is the other team. Consequently this team will try to avoid that the other team avance into their area.  The player who has the ball should run as fast as he can in order to avance into the enemy field.  The players of the contrary team try to block this man by jumping over the player.  If the team that was trying to avance arrives to the end of the field it means they score.  When this happens, both teams start to play again in the middle of the court and so on.  Of course the team with the highest score win the match.

I took this picture in Carson Park.

Finally, Americans love this game because it is part of their culture; It has a great importance for most of them.  This discipline is unique in the United States.  Most of Americans regularly attend to the games. They support their favorite team by clapping and screaming.  I would say this is like their own sport. I have attended to two games and it is amazing who they enjoy it.  I would recommend people in my contry to attend to an American football game if they ever go to the United States. I really enjoyed the game!

Immigration Story

I had a very interesting conversation with an American girl who study at UWEC. I ask her different questions about her ancestors and their ethnic background. Her greatgrandparents were from German, Norway and Irish. Some of them came over to the United States in the Eighteenth century. Other came before the Second World War in the thirties decade. Even one of her ancestors, came aboard the Mayflower in sixteenth century. Also, one of her greatgrandfather was a native American.

All they face challenges in order to provide a better standard of living for their families. At that time they had to work really hard in order to survive because their resources were limited. Most of them were farmers or worked in loggers. In addition, she told me that nobody in her family speaks the language of the original country. However, some of her relatives such as her grandmother still keeps in touch with some relatives in Norway. There are some traditions from the old country that her family still preserves, especially a lot of traditional food.

Furthermore, she told me that both of her grandmothers made family trees and that is why she knows about her ancestors's background. It was very interesting to talk with this girl because she knows a lot of details about her background in spite she is really young. Besides, she was very enthusiastic when we talked about the immigration story of her relatives. I think that she is so proud of her background and that it is a very important aspect of her identity.

Historic Buildings in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

It was wonderful the walking tour I took in downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin. There are many amazing historic buildings. I chose two of them that are really wondrous.

The first one is Herman Schlegelmilch House located at 217 South Barstow Street. This is the first brick commercial building in Eau Claire and was built in1866.

The second one is Parish House, Christ Church Cathedral and is located at 510 South Farwell Street. "On the ground level, three pairs of recessed windows contain the crests thatdocument the history of the Episcopal faith."

I hope you have the opportunity to take a walking tour in downtown Eau Claire. I am sure you will enjoy it as I did.

Does Culture Define Institutions or Do Institutions Define Culture?

According to the web site http://www.yourdictionary.com/, an institution can be defined as a custom, practice, relationship, or behavioral pattern of importance in the life of a community or society: the institutions of marriage and the family. Also, it mentions “an established organization or foundation, especially one dedicated to education, public service, or culture.”

Institutions are founded with a specific purpose. I consider that their success basically depends on the principles, values and rules that govern them. The role of culture is fundamental for the establishment of every institution; they are the result of hard work. I believe that culture defines institutions because individuals are the ones who shape them according to their values and thoughts.

However, some institutions such as educational institutions also define the way individuals think. For example, if an individual has the opportunity to study in college this makes him/her conscious of many things they were not aware. In this case the role of this kind of institutions is essential for society. Another example is religious institutions which are really significant for many people because they can learn to guide their lives according to God's principles and discern what is the most convenient for their lives.

Through the years many institutions become an essential part of our lives. Base on our culture we define institutions, but at the same time they shape our lives and have a significant role in them in many diverse ways.

Comparison Between Costa Rica and the United States in Regard to Their Students at University.

After 22 days in the United States it results difficult to me to compare it with Costa Rica in regard to their educational system and student’s behavior because at first glance it seems that there are only differences between them. 

I would like to clarify that I do not want to discredit the educational system of my country but, there are many aspects that can be improved in many ways.  First of all, many policies are very different in Costa Rica, for instance the first day of classes is not required to attend. In the United States if you do not attend to the first class it means that probably you dropped the course. 

Besides, the relation with the professor in the United States is very formal, you have to address them by their academic degree and their last name. In Costa Rica, we address professors by the first name and without using their academic degree, or just as professor. 

Also, in Costa Rica many people are not punctual; even some professors arrive late to the classroom. It is very common to hear students excusing themselves saying “I missed the bus”. Some professors allow this students to take the quizzes in spite they are late for class. To me this is bawdry and instead of representing a benefit for the students it impairs them. 

In addition, at the end of the class the professor tell the students which is the homework for next week. Back home I never had to check my syllabus because if the professor does not say anything at the end of the class it means that you do not have homework. Here, it works completely different. You are responsible for checking your syllabus, D2L and bring your homework by the beginning of the class because that is your responsibility, not of your professors. 

Although there are many differences, also there is one main similarity which is that there are many students who really care about their future and try to be successful in everything they do. To me is really significant to have the opportunity to study in the United States because that help me to improve en many ways, not only in my English skills but, also to be more confident and appreciate the value of education.