Self Reflection Culture By Pat Pornpongchotiwit - 884 Words

Self Reflection – Culture by Pat Pornpongchotiwit Originally from Thailand, I was born and raised in Thai culture for 22 years before arriving in the United States of America. Even now, after living in the United States for 8 years, my character and thoughts are still dominated by Thai culture, which is very different from American culture in many ways. After graduation my plan is to work in the US, and thus, to continue functioning in what is dominantly an American culture. However, I realize that differences between Thai culture and American culture may cause communication issues for me at work unless each one is properly understood. First, Americans tend to be very straightforward and express their feeling s directly to the listener, while Thai people tend to seek harmony, avoid saying things that would hurt people s feelings, and prefer not to express their own personal feelings in order to avoid conflict and maintain their relationship with the listener. In my life, this means that I m always afraid of having conflicts with other people and as a result, have difficulty expressing my feelings to others. I always thought that Americans were self-centered and rude because they are so quick to speak their own personal feelings without any concern about the listener s feelings. However, studying the textbook made me realize that Americans are neither self-centered nor rude. They simply want to get things done faster by stating the points needed to solve the problem