Soc_120_Wk_2

Checkpoint: Culture Shock Melissa Spencer SOC/120 January 11, 2013 Juliet Bond Since most of us are to having the privilege of runny water and electricity, sometimes we take it for granted. There are people on this planet who do not even know that those privileges even exist. The Yanomamo people live in South America and most of them have never seen the outside world. They live a very simple life in South America. They know not of running water, indoor plumbing, or even electricity; most of them have never seen the outside world that is beyond their village. In order to prepare myself for the culture shock that I would experience when I would go to South America and live with the Yanomamo people I would do some research on that area. Knowing the kind of environment and what animals or even insects that I would encounter could be a huge help. Once I found the information that I needed I would try and adjust my life as much as I could to adapt to the Yanomamo environment. Maybe go camping and learn how I would survive without running water and electricity. I would even bring a bow and arrow to see if I am able to kill an animal to eat. Just in case I don’t get that animal I would bring some kind of back up food, but I would continue hunting to get food the rest of my camping trip. Since the temperature is very hot with a high humidity in South America I would try to do what I needed to do in everyday life by sitting in a sauna. Making these adjustments to my life before going to South America could help me prepare before I go there. I have experienced a culture shock myself here in our country. My husband had been given orders to become a recruiter here in Minnesota. I was excited to be able to live a little closer to our home state of Michigan. What we did not know is that where we were to live had a huge Muslim culture here. I do not have a problem with this nor am I raciest. However, it was more of a culture shock to my children (4 and 5 year old boys). I had to explain why the women dressed as they did and explain that just because they dress different or may be another color does not mean that they are bad people. Being in the military my children understand about terrorist. So, I had to explain to them that there are bad people no matter their religious beliefs or the color of their skin. So, yes this is a culture shock to me and my family. Understanding the component of a certain culture can help you with the culture shock that you might have.