Welcome to Exploring Culture

Culture

Begin the Culture Learning adventure

The “Culture” Category link in the footer below will get you started immediately, providing a list of all 80 culture explorations. The “Language” Category link will send you to a list of the matching language explorations. The “Word Cloud” in the footer will provide a list of explorations associated with that topic when you click on the topic.  You can also use the “Search” function to find an exploration that contains a particular word or phrase.A thorough explanation for how to use the site can be found here.

For an overview of the site, use the “Getting Started” tab above. Other tabs include suggestions for the Mentor/Coach and tools for recording your observations for later analysis.

Each post includes a series of questions that will give direction to your exploration of a culture topic.

Notice the “Language Tools” button which gives ideas for how to use your Language Learning time in preparation for the Culture activity.

1. INVESTIGATE YOUR NEW NEIGHBORHOOD

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What do you see out your front door?
A road? Fields? Mountains? Another house?
Does your house have a front yard? What is it like?

Take a walk around your neighborhood

Is your neighborhood residential? commercial? a combination of the two?
How would you describe the types of buildings? Apartment buildings, homes, store fronts?
Does any particular building seem to stand out? If so, why?
How far do you have to walk to the market? to church? to the next door neighbor’s house?
Are there trees, flowers along the street? in peoples’ yards?
Do you have to walk on the street? or is there a walkway of some kind?
Are others outside walking? Are there animals around? Are children playing outside?
Note activities which are performed and who is doing them. Note the time when you make these observations.

When you return home:

Make a rudimentary map of your neighborhood and label the buildings and streets as far as you can. You will continue to build on this in the following assignments.

2. DESCRIBE YOUR TOWN/CITY

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General:

How far is the next town or village from yours? How far is it to the nearest large commercial center?

Get to a main crossroads area of your neighborhood

Describe the type of buildings: height, size, type of roofing, building material, windows, decorative features.
Where are main buildings located? post office? government buildings? banks? schools?
Is there a central plaza or green area? Are there green areas throughout the town? If so, what plants or trees are there? How do people seem to use these areas?

What kind of transport seems to be available?

How do people get to your town? Location of train or bus stations, airport, car parking
How do people get around town? bus service, taxis, private car, walking, bicycles? Are there street signs? Other directional signs? In which language(s) are they written?

Note the location of major and minor roadways, of walkways, of possible shortcuts

When you return home:

Add any new information to your map

3. A CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

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Look at how space is used in your neighborhood

How much space is there between buildings?
Do buildings usually face in a certain direction?
How are boundary lines designated?
Is there a fence around the yard? Is it a gated area? If so, how is an outsider admitted inside?
What types of out-buildings (garages, storage sheds, granaries, barns, chicken coops, toilets, etc.) do you see and where are they located in relation to the house?
Are there different out-buildings in an apartment setting?
Are other buildings located near homes or apartments? What are they used for?
Does it appear that some kind of building code is observed? Explain.
Are there places where people sit around to talk? What might this tell you when you try to make friends with your neighbors?
Are there empty spaces between houses or shops? How are they used? Are they clean?
What other space is used besides what you see on ground level? the roof? stair wells?

Communal space

Is there a central well, pump, or faucet where people draw water?
If you noticed a central green area, how is this used? by whom? At what time of the day, week, or month? Is it more busy some times than at other times?
How much of the space in front of a house or shop is maintained by the occupant of that building? Are there things in that space that declare ownership?
Is there any other use of space that you can see at this point, as a special place for butchers to slaughter animals, for traveling entertainers to set up their tents, or for itinerant salespeople to set up their wares?

4. GETTING INSIDE WHERE PEOPLE LIVE

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Do most people live in apartment buildings or in single family units? Does the location of the residence make a difference? urban vs. rural? city vs. suburban?

If the buildings are multi-storied, how do people get to the next floor? Are there elevators? How many floors do they service? What is the condition of the stairwells? Are they used for more than going up to the next floor? Is the roof accessible and utilized?

Look at the windows. Are they barred or open? Do people open their windows or do they keep them closed for the most part? Do the windows have any decoration, like curtains, window shades, flowerboxes or potted plants, etc.?

Is the dwelling surrounded by a gate? or can you walk right up to the front door? How does one announce one’s presence or ask for admission? Is there a knocker? a doorbell? or does one simply call out?

Where is the door located? on street level? at the top of the stairs? Is there more than one door into a home or apartment? If so, which is for family use, and which is for guests?
When you enter the house, what are your first impressions? Do you enter directly into the house? or into a courtyard? Does this depend on the type of dwelling?

Is there an open area the family uses? Where is it located? in the front or back of the house, in the center, on the roof? Is it cemented in? What does the family use the space for (work, storage, social time, drying clothes, other)? Is this a secure area or is it accessible to others? Is there a time of day when the area is more used than at others?

5. ROOMS IN THE HOUSE

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Living areas

How are the rooms arranged? around a courtyard? in a linear fashion?

How many rooms are there in this house? Are they interconnected? Does one key give you access, or does each room need a key?

How many people live in the house? are they a single family unit, or an extended family?

What kind of furniture is in the room in which you are seated? Note floor covering, curtains, and other decoration on the floor, walls, or ceiling. Is there anything that surprises you?

What other rooms are in your host’s home? Are there rooms that are off-limits to a visitor? If you can see into other rooms, what other furniture is there? Does the furniture tell you what the room is used for? Do rooms seem to be multi-purpose or have a specific use?

Do the furnishings in the house give you a clue as to the economic status of the occupants?

Where do the children play? indoors? outdoors? Is this a secure area?

Working areas

Where is the kitchen located? What kind of stove is used for cooking? What kind of fuel is used for cooking? Where and how is this available?

Where are the dishes, utensils, pots and pans stored? Where are supplies like flour, sugar, onions, etc. stored?

Where do the dishes get washed? What is used to scour pans? Are spotless pans a thing of pride? Are the dishes drip-dried or dried with a towel?

What do you think their standard of cleanliness is in comparison with yours?

Where is cleaning equipment kept, like brooms, sweepers, etc. What kind of equipment is used for cleaning? Does the type of building determine this?

Is there electricity? For how many hours a day? Hot and cold running water? Otherwise, how is water heated? Is this done only when needed, at certain times of the day?

Where is the laundry done? Are bigger pieces (sheets, etc.) sent out to be washed? Is the laundry at home done by hand or by machine? What kind of soap is used? Where are clothes hung out to dry?

Is there a special area for chopping wood? for preparing vegetables or meat for cooking? for keeping seedlings for planting in the garden? for keeping animals?

When you return home:

Draw a diagram of the house with any special observations about the various rooms and use of space. Add to this as you visit more homes.

6. WHERE ARE THINGS KEPT?

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What kind of arrangements are made for storage? If there are cupboards, are they locked? Do they have doors, or are they open? If open, are they curtained off?

Is there a specific room for storing foodstuffs like flour and sugar, grain from harvest, other non-perishables? Do these need to be protected from rats, mold, rain, thieves? If so, how is this done?

Where are dishes, pots and pans and other daily-use items kept? Is this a different place than where seldom used items are stored?

Where is fresh produce stored? Is there electricity and a refrigerator? Or does fresh produce need to be used the day it is bought? If there is a refrigerator, is it still considered best to buy fresh produce daily?

What kind of receptacles are used? baskets? tin boxes? plastic containers? Find out what they are called, what is kept in them, and where they are kept.

Where is clothing kept? After washing, are they mended and ironed immediately, or as needed? Are they then hung in closets, or folded into cabinets or boxes?

What is done with bedding each morning? At the change of seasons? How often does it get changed? How are heavier items like quilts and blankets freshened?

Where are larger items like bicycles kept? Are such storage areas included in the living complex? Are rental storage facilities available? How accessible and affordable are they?

7. THE FAMILY

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Are nuclear families (husband, wife, and their children) the norm, or do people live in extended families, including multiple generations?

What does each member contribute to family life? What degree of cooperation is there between members of the family?

What evidence do you see of sibling rivalry? How is this dealt with? Do boys get away with more than girls, or is it the opposite? How and what kind of discipline is administered? Is it the same for all, or is it given according to the behavior?

Watch the interactions between members of the family. How is respect shown? When tempers flare, is it justified? Are there overt demonstrations of love?

In and around the home, what is the division of labor gender specific? according to age? according to relationship? Try to assess how much work is done by each member. Note the amount of cooperation there is in performing certain tasks. What jobs are done daily? seasonally? whenever there is a demand?

Do any of the households have servants? How are they cared for? Are they paid a wage? What is their status? Are there any jobs that some servants would not do because they would feel it was below their status to do them? What hierarchy is there between servants?

Does the family do things together during leisure times, like play games, tell stories, watch TV, or do crafts, etc.? What other things are done in the home by individual members, like handwork, woodworking, computer, or reading?

Do members of the family go to children’s sports or cultural events?

8. DAILY ROUTINES

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Make copies of a chart with times of the day (morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night) with space for writing in activities done during those times. Fill in your own activities for each time frame and give one to some of your friends. Have your friends fill in their own chart with their activities. Compare charts as a conversation exercise. What adjustments would be allowed in the daily routine? Do these tasks get done each day, or is there variety during the week?

Which activities are personal, and which ones involve the whole family? How are bathroom schedules organized and monitored? Are there washstands outside of the toilet area, or is everything enclosed in one room? How often is bathing done, and where?

Have each of the members of one family you know well fill out the charts. Compare the schedules for each and note how they differ, how they augment each other, and how adjustments are made. Note how much of their time is taken in doing their various tasks. What problems do they face during the day and how do they deal with them? Which tasks are done on a daily basis? Does the work vary from day to day (some tasks done one day, some on another)?

Arrange with a family you know well to stay overnight in their home and participate in their life for a whole day. Perhaps you could suggest that you would like to tell your relatives in your home country what a day in the life of a local family is like. Participate in their work as much as possible and try to get a picture of both individual differences and interpersonal relationships. If you have a fellow-worker, split up to follow family members to different tasks. Compare notes later to get a composite picture.

Examples of questions to note:

  •  Who gets up first?
  • What is the first task each member of the family performs?
  • Who wakes up the rest of the family? in what order?
  • Is face-washing enough, or is a complete bath in order in the morning?
  • Who gets the clothes ready for wearing?
  • Who cooks the breakfast?
  • Do the children get walked to school?
  • When does the father leave for work, and when does he return?
  • Does the mother also work? If so, what are the arrangements for child care?
  • What arrangements are made for cleaning the house, washing the dishes, gardening, marketing, etc.?

9. CLOTHING

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Describe the types of clothing worn by men, women, children, and infants. At what ages do boys and girls begin to wear “adult” clothing? How much of the body needs to be covered? When? Are expectations different for women than for men? What articles are gender specific?

Is clothing distinctive to the ethnic group? If not, is there a time when traditional ethnic clothing is worn? Is it worn with pride?

What is considered “essential” to every person’s wardrobe and how much money would be spent on some of these “essentials”?

Is clothing ready-made? If not, who makes them? Are they hand-sewn or machine-sewn? What kind of material is used in clothing for every-day wear? for special occasions?

Do articles of clothing indicate rank, status, or marital condition?

Do people have many changes of clothes?

  • Are different sets worn to work, on special occasions, for sleeping, for trips to town, etc.?
  • Does the type of clothing change seasonally?
  • What is considered appropriate or inappropriate dress for different occasions?
  • How important is it to dress nicely?

What types of ornaments are worn on the clothes (buttons, clasps, fringes, coins, seeds, embroidery, etc.)?

How is clothing kept clean and how frequently is this done?