Blog

Whole Life Concept Cultural Awareness

SUBJECT:                Cultural Awareness

At the start of your internship you were asked to develop a memo to your manager (i.e. Expectations Memo) to address four specific questions.  Since you developed that memo, much has changed about you, your mindset and approach to learning.  We expect much has also changed in your awareness of the world around you.  You have also developed an appreciation for some of the differences between your former roles and the role you now have.  Your supervisor and manager are interested in your impressions of yourself and others at this point, and how that has changed since you started. Please write a well developed, two-page memo (MS Word) to your manager and supervisor that answers the questions below.

As a growing XLIX Student Intern you are an active partner in your education process.  You should be aware of your own ability to see yourself from the “outside looking in,” and to appreciate others from the same “outside looking in” point of view.  Please address each question below with a well-developed and thoughtful paragraph response.

• Introductory paragraph addressing the purpose of the Memo.
• Describe your ability to see yourself from the “outside looking in.”
• Describe your ability to appreciate others from the “outside looking in.”
• Revisiting the weekly Reflective Writing Assignments that you completed throughout the semester, examine and illustrate your awareness of how culture and experiences have shaped your own predispositions, values, expectations, and capacities for how you view the world around you. Provide specific examples for each.
• Revisiting the weekly Reflective Writing Assignments that you completed throughout the semester, examine and illustrate your openness to others points of view by identifying and explaining a minimum of three examples from your interactions with others, in or out of class.  Thoughtfully reflecting, identify and explain the specific aspects of the Reflective Writing Assignments that have helped you to develop a broader understanding of the culture in which you live, and the academic path that you have chosen.

To: XLIX Management Team

FROM: 1201 Interns

DATE: December 4^th, 2019

SUBJECT: Whole Life Concept Cultural Awareness

Introductory paragraph addressing the purpose of the Memo

As a student intern in the XLIX Engineering Design Firm, I have experienced numerous changes concerning my approach to learning, perception of the world around me, and mindset. Under the direction by the firm’s management, I have provided the answers to the questions raised in the previous memo. The questions are in bold, italics, and centered while my answers follow in the standard fonts. The answers to each question occupy a whole paragraph. The purpose of the memo is to describe my ability to see myself and appreciate others in the “outside looking in.” The essay further features how culture has influenced my values, predispositions, capacities, and expectations.

Describe your ability to see yourself from the “outside looking in.”

I usually feel overwhelmed when in a public gathering, and this makes me opt to stay at home and keep away from such meetings. The feeling is high, especially where I have to meet my schoolmates, age mates, and other friends. I tend to feel judged by my conscience that I am ‘unfit’ for the group regardless of how much I strive to look like others. I find more peace in retreating from attending social gatherings, even though I am aware of the social benefits they contribute. Literally, such meetings lead to meeting new friends and feeling part of the community. The zeal to decline deprives me of many opportunities, and I am left wondering how my peers manage to explore the outside world while I watch and follow things from home. Although I have tried to address this barrier by joining small groups where I find interaction with people fascinating, I am yet to encounter a real sense of connection.

Describe your ability to appreciate others from the “outside looking in.”

My habit of detaching from whatever is happening around me has also influenced my appreciation for others. I uphold much respect to everyone else regardless of their age and background. In fact, I do not encourage anyone to embrace the habit of outside looking in as myself. Contrary, I tend to feel happy when I see everyone else participating in activities and attending social gatherings. In this regard, I have realized my ability to appreciate others from my ‘weakness’ through appreciation. While I may not join a sporting activity or any other activity which is open for everyone, I usually find pleasure in applauding the winners and also cheering up those who seem to lose it to motivate them. I also like contributing the resources needed to hold an event while I know I will not participate, to make it successful for the interested parties. In other words, i may fail to attend an event, but ensure to remove any stumbling block to pave the way for those willing to participate. in so doing, I attain self-gratification, although I still feel there is something I miss out.

Revisiting the weekly Reflective Writing Assignments that you completed throughout the semester, examine and illustrate your awareness of how culture and experiences have shaped your own predispositions/tendencies, values, expectations, and capacities for how you view the world around you. Provide specific examples for each

Culture is a valuable aspect in the world we live in because it shapes the kind of life we live and the moral values we uphold in the society.  Culture has influenced my life in various ways, such as my values, predispositions, expectations, and capacities. Culture has enabled me to understand and view other people as equally important. It is through culture that I have learned to appreciate the moral values upheld by others. While culture is richly linked to our beliefs, I have come to understand that everyone is entitled to their values and attitudes, and thus, I should not condemn anyone based on their culture. For instance, when I was younger, I used to think that everyone should be a believer in my religion, and those who deny it are non-valuable in my life. However, through my experience of interacting with people from various backgrounds, I have learned that every individual has a right to their beliefs, and I should respect them to pave the way for a better understanding of each other. Culture has also influenced my way of communication. The knowledge that different people use different words for various meanings has instilled the habit of learning the simple language of every people I interact with to make it easy to cope with them. I am always curious to learn new language and culture from other people, and this has enhanced my capacities even in finding new opportunities for exploitation.