Tag Archives: Community

12. GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE

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You have already noted what types of transportation are available in your neighborhood. Now it is time to investigate further!

Local transportation

Within the area where you live, what is the primary type of transportation used by the local people (private cars, buses, trains, motor scooters, bicycles, rickshaws, ox-cart, trams, etc.)?

How accessible are the motorized types of transport? Do you need to go to special taxi stands or bus and tram terminals, or can a person flag one down?

Do these run on a schedule? If so, where are schedules available? How close to schedule do they run?

How much does a ride cost? Do you need to buy a ticket or can you pay after boarding? Do you need exact change?

Private vehicles

How generous are owners of their own vehicle in sharing rides? How much payment is expected? How easy is it to borrow a vehicle for a time? What is the borrower’s responsibility if there is any damage?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using private rather than public transport? How accessible are repair and maintenance garages?

Where are petrol stations located? Are there other options other than petrol for running a car? Where do these filling stations exist? What is the cost of petrol? of alternate fuel?

Long-distance travel

Do people travel long distances often? Are there some people in your neighborhood that have never traveled outside of their immediate area? Why do people make long trips? Where are long-distance transport stations? How far is this from your neighborhood? How do people get there? Where are tickets available? Can you buy one in advance? How far can one travel without having to make a transfer? Plot your travel options in order to go from your house to a specific location in your capital city. Investigate everything, from buying your ticket to taking a taxi to your destination.

13. HOW CAN I TRANSPORT THAT?

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Carrying

What objects are carried rather than transported in another way? How are they carried (baskets, plastic bags, in the arms or hands, slung in a cloth, in a suitcase, on the head)?

What are the cultural expectations as to the type of receptacle that a child, a man, a woman, an elderly person might use or not?

  • What kinds of “stuff” would local people expect people to be carrying?
  • What kinds of things are unusual for them to carry?
  • What would be expected of you as a foreigner?

Does the length of time items need to be carried determine the way they are carried?

Get the terms for the different methods of carrying (on the head, by the handle, with a carrying pole, under the arm, slung between two people, etc.).

Other transport

What other methods are used to transport items from one place to another? Are these specific to different geographical areas? different ethnic groups? gender-specific?

How much cooperation is involved in their use?

  • Are these privately owned and used?
  • Can they be borrowed if needed?
  • Are some available for public use?
  • Who owns them?
  • What is the fee charged for their use?

Learn the names of the various contrivances. Are these ones you can use? If so, find out how you can access them.

Are there certain times during the day when particular things are likely to be carried? Is there a peak time when demand is high for transporting of goods?

Listen for the greetings or questions used when people or drivers pass each other on the way or as they enter or leave the village or building. Observe expressions and body language as well.

15. WHAT’S THERE TO EAT?

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  • What is the staple food which is found in nearly every meal (bread, rice, maniac, potato, etc.?)
  • How are meals cooked (open fire, gas or electric stove, oven, etc.)? Is there a way to preserve meat, vegetables, or fruit for future use? Describe hearths or stoves and how they are constructed and used.
  • How many meals a day do people ordinarily eat? What is considered the main meal of the day? When is it served? Is breakfast served in most homes? What kind of food is served?
  • Is the main meal served at noon or in the evening? Do men and women eat together? Who is served first? When do the children eat?
  • Is any kind of ritual observed before or after eating? Learn a simple table grace (prayer before the meal).
  • How is the food served (buffet-style, family-style, pre-served portions)? What utensils and dishes are used at meal times? for various types of food? How many dishes are served at a typical meal? for guests?
  • What is served for the main meal? How many times a week is meat eaten? Is the food spicy or bland? What seasonings are used for taste? How does the food taste to you?
  • How much of it is gathered, grown in family gardens, or bought at the market? Who does the gathering or buying?
  • How are people called to come to eat? Do people converse while they eat? Note the sounds which accompany eating (smacking of lips, belching, etc.). Do people drink during a meal or after?
  • Are there breaks in the day for drinking tea or coffee or snacking? What types of things are eaten for snacks? Are they salty or sweet? Should there be a mix of the two?

16. WHERE CAN WE GO TO EAT?

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Of course, one of the places you can go to eat is as an invited guest for a meal in someone’s home.

  • Try to get the polite phrases to use when invited to a meal, when urged to eat more, and when finishing a meal. Is it appropriate or necessary to finish everything offered or better to leave something on your plate?
  • When you are invited as a guest, is it appropriate to bring a thank-you gift? or send a thank- you note afterward? Find out what words or items would show your appreciation.
  • Is it good to praise the cook? Are there stock phrases that are used for this? Learn some of these and begin to use them!
  • When you are invited to a home for a meal, is it expected that you would return the invitation? How and when is this done?
  • Another option for eating out is the restaurants, tea stalls, and hotels in the area. Find out where your friends go to eat, and as you walk about your neighborhood, observe the small eating places the locals patronize. Is there special seating for families? for women eating alone?
  • What kinds of restaurants are there? Are they well patronized? Do they serve only local food or is Western cuisine or food from other countries also available? How expensive is it to eat out? Are there eating establishments that specialize in only one or two types of food, like noodle dishes, steak, etc.?
  • If there are restaurants from the West, like McDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken, is their menu similar to the original? Or have they added some ingredients or items that are more culturally enjoyed?

18. GETTING WORK DONE

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What things have you observed around the house and neighborhood that help the residents accomplish tasks? Find out what they are called and what they are used for (e.g., field or garden work, food preparation, weaving, hunting, home maintenance, car repairs)? Note especially tools which are new to you.

Who uses what tools when? Are there role expectations or restrictions on which sex uses which tools?

Try to use some which are appropriate to your sex and role. Are they easy to use? Mimic the instructions people give you while you are using the tools.

Are the tools bought commercially or home-made? Are some of them used for a quick job and thrown away? or are some of them permanent items? When they break, who fixes them?

Are there specialists available for certain jobs? What jobs do they do? Where are they located? How are they repaid for their labor? How is the price negotiated and by whom?

Do they only work in their store or shop, or will they come to the home to do work that is needed? How are they contracted? Who does the negotiations? What else needs to be negotiated besides the price?

Is there a period of time in the day when work is not usually done, as a “rest” time? What is the expectation of the local people? How graciously do they respond to an interruption? Would the request be acted on at that time, or put off to after the “rest period?”

19. ACTIVITIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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Take a walk down the street and take note of what you see people doing (children going to school or playing, women shopping, someone cleaning the street, people going to work or sitting in the sunshine, shopkeepers selling their wares, craftsmen doing their work, etc.) Other possibilities may be house building, rope making, car repair, blacksmithing, office work, beggars, or musicians. Take pictures if appropriate and use them as conversation triggers with your language helper.

Where are the activities taking place? in or by a home? in an office? in a store? on the street?

Are certain activities done by people generally (e.g., window shopping), by recognized craftsmen (e.g., blacksmith, shoemaker, silversmith), restricted by sex (e.g., embroidery, knitting), limited to a specific area (e.g., working with wool or with cotton, styles of caps), or to a certain season (grass cutting, tapping trees for resin, shoveling snow)?

Are any finished products for sale? For personal pleasure or for the benefit of others? Is the activity essentially individual or cooperative? If the latter, who does what? Is food or payment provided for workers or helpers? Try to join in one or another of the activities and tell about your experience. Note the people’s reaction and their instructions to you.

20. COMMUNITY SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

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For what occasions do groups of people gather on a social basis? Where do they gather? Are these local, or a localized branch of a national event? Are these initiated by an individual or by a committee?

Inquire about these, and attend one or two if appropriate. Take notes and discuss the activities with your language helper or a local friend. Possibilities: weddings, funerals, religious fairs, art fairs, community dinners, senior centers, any community activity held in a central place like a plaza or community center. How are personal and group social needs met through these events? Note things like the selling of snacks, telling stories, dancing, exchange of gossip, playing of games, etc.

Remember that an event may have several purposes. A gathering for a funeral, for instance, not only is an opportunity to pay one’s last respects but also to show group solidarity in a time of crisis, to bring family and friends together, to provide an opportunity for young people to flirt or court, etc.

What city social activities are you aware of? Are there parades or activities that center around a certain region of the city, to remember a local historical event, or to honor a local hero or pioneer? Who are considered heroes or pioneers? Get information about one or two of them.

21. HOLIDAYS — NATIONAL & RELIGIOUS

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Ask your friends about the annual national religious calendar (dates and reasons for the celebration). Are there other celebrations or ceremonies that are local? When are these held?

Observe, when possible, several ceremonies done in the village or your area of town. At this stage, don’t worry about fine details of ritual and meaning. Note these important points:

  • The time and date of the ceremony
  • Correlation with phases of the moon, the season of the year, the time of day
  • Who performs the ceremony and where it is held (a building set aside for religious ceremonies, a home, outdoors, etc.)
  • Why it is performed and for whom (an individual, a family, the whole society)
  • What is the purpose of the ceremony (curing, blessing, fertility, dedication, initiation, etc.)
  • Participation – Is it a private ceremony, participation by invitation, or an open public event? Who gets invited? How do people know about the event? How are the participants expected to respond?
  • Progression of events

What other holidays are observed throughout the year? Make a list of these, noting the name of the holiday, the date it is observed, the reason why it is celebrated, and the extent within the country that it is observed (whether it is local, ethnic, or limited in some other way).

How long do the activities last (a day, a week, or more)? What special foods are prepared for the event? Is this an occasion for wearing the national dress? Are there special activities associated with the time? What is their significance? Are homes and neighborhoods decorated for the occasion?

Are schools closed on these special days? Are special programs held in schools or other venues and if so, when? Are outsiders (government dignitaries, parents, friends, etc.) invited?

How much coverage is given on TV or the radio to the celebrations?

Write down your observations and add to them as you have opportunity to attend more such events.

22. BODY LANGUAGE IN ONE-ON-ONE COMMUNICATION SITUATIONS

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Note how people act when they talk to each other.

  • How far apart do they generally place themselves?
  • When people talk to you, how comfortable are you with the distance they keep?

Note the range of facial features used: raising the eyebrows, frowning, smiling, gesturing, etc.

Note head movements and how assent and dissent is conveyed through these movements.

Note body position and posture during conversations.

  • What position is taken for a relaxed conversation?
  • For a mother scolding her child?
  • For an argument between adults?
  • Are people seated comfortably? on the edge of their seats? leaning forward? looking down, or up, to the person being addressed?
  • What do these convey?

Note various positions of arms or legs during conversations. Do the gestures give an idea of what the conversation is about?

How are the eyes directed: where is the gaze directed while speaking? while listening?

Note differences there may be when:

  • Men are conversing with men
  • Women with women
  • Men and women conversing together
  • A child is addressed.

How does the listener communicate that he/she is listening?

Are there certain motions that convey a message without saying anything (like “come,” “go away,” “that’s enough,” “forgive me,” “thank you”)?

Compare the gestures and distance in informal situations with more formal situations, such as at a town meeting, a church service, or negotiations for a wedding, ceremony, purchase, etc. In public situations does everyone listen attentively or is there a certain amount of “murmuring” allowed?

After noting these, look at your own communication habits and evaluate whether any need to be changed so as to not offend unnecessarily.

23. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

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How do the local people communicate with one another? How common is the use of iPods, tablets, smart phones? How up-to-date with modern technology is the common person? the younger generation?

How proficient are they with texting? Are there prohibitions on texting as to where it can be done or can’t be done?

How many people own personal computers?

  • In what way do they use them (educational use, research, e-mail, business, buying tickets to events, etc.)?
  • How expensive is it to buy a computer?
  • What brands are available?
  • How can it be repaired? Is there a high incidence of “crashing?”

How widely used are social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)?

  • By all, or mostly by the younger generation?
  • What local or national social media is available?
  • What purposes does social media fulfill in society?

Do people use Internet Cafes? How “safe” are they? How crowded are they? Can they use a computer any time or is there a waiting list? a sign-up sheet?

For e-mail and the Internet, what service providers operate in the country? Is one preferred over another? Why? How does one open an account? How expensive is it and how is it paid for?