Culture Shock

At the end of our trip, we spent a few hours in Tongatapu before our plane left for New Zealand. We spent some time with a friend of a friend, who's relatives from Australia were visiting at the time. We hung out with them for a while and then had dinner together. As usual, we used our hands to serve and eat and the food was so good we were probably eating really fast and at one point I bit off a piece of something and gave the rest to Allyson. The girls from Australia saw us and said "wow you guys really are Tongan!" because of how we were eating. I used a spoon I had in front of me to scoop out the coconut meat, and they said "use a knife!" and I looked down at my spoon, and I didn't even realize that I had the option of the knife, I just used what was there! I had been so used to eating this way in Tonga, but to the girls who grew up in Australia, they were totally grossed out and I realized I had forgotten my "proper table manners." I tried to eat more "civilized" as to not gross out our new friends, however I couldn't help but think about how I experienced some sort of reverse culture shock, and new eating habits I had picked up in Tonga weren't necessarily acceptable to these Australian girls and wouldn't be acceptable to our American friends/family as well.

Tonga!

It's been a crazy month here in Tonga. I've been learning how to weave and learning a lot about the culture. Here are some pictures of me weaving!

June 1

Over the past few days it's been raining really hard and there were funerals. After a death in the city, you can't work for 3 days, so we couldn't weave and with the rain we couldnít do much of anything else. I've been thinking about my project and trying to come up with a hypothesis. It seems as if there are so many different types of influences going on in Tonga, (Australia, New Zealand and American) and it seems like people keep cultural aspects that they have sort of a testimony of. It's like in the church; people have a testimony of certain things after they have experiences regarding that thing. For example, Uini made breakfast for the missionaries, and said it was better to make them traditional Tongan food (not an American dish that we suggested) so they had energy for the day. It was kind of ironic because we had gotten sick from the Tongan food the night before. However, she feels like from personal experience that Tongan food is healthy and makes you strong and gives you energy for the day, so for herself and her family, Tongan food/culture is the best.

April 11

We had a safety and security briefing that, to be honest, scared me a little! We went over some scenarios that we might encounter, and I found that I didn't really have any idea what I would do. Maybe its just because I'm not to great at planning ahead, and I act better when I'm just in the moment. However, when it comes to safety and security, it's better to have a plan!
Here's my plan:
I'm keeping emergency contact information on me at all times, just maybe on a little business card with numbers/addresses for hospitals, Ashley, Dallin, BYU and anybody else that I might need contact with, maybe a way to contact my other group members.
I'm going to have a supply of food and water, probably about a week's worth somewhere in my host home in case of an emergency.
Additionally, I'm not going to keep a lot of expensive things on me, like I won't bring my camera everywhere I go every day, just sometimes, and then keep my money in a couple different spots just in case I get mugged or something.
I'm also bringing some first aid kit type things, like medicine for pain and diarrhea, bandaids, anti-bacterial etc.
Hopefully I can be prepared in case something happens, but moreso I hope that nothing bad happens! I'm planning on it just in case so that I can have a safe and good trip and be able to do all my coursework and research.

April 8

I've been reading Black Like Me. The author, Griffin, relays his stories about when he changed his appearance to look Black and lived in the south. His methods include interviews and participant observation in order to gather data and share what it would be like to be Black. Many questions arise as to how legitimate and objective his methods are and how reliable his data is. How much of his writings can we pass off as actual data that we can use as information on what it was really like to be Black? How much of his methods were actually ethical?
His novel begins with how he made himself appear to be black, and I hesitate to say that he actually turned Black; many might say that this novel is about when Mr. Griffin “turned’ black. However, I disagree with that terminology and will argue that while he only changed his appearance to appear to be Black, he did not actually become Black. While he experienced what it was like to be treated as a Black man, he could never actually know what it was really like to BE a Black man. His visage of a Black man was one that he could take off, and especially during the last part of the experience, when he changed from Black to White whenever it was convenient for him.
As for ethics, he did admit that he was actually a white professor whenever someone was suspicious, however he only does this once or twice throughout his 6 weeks. Most people he talked to were being deceived into sharing things with this white man that they probably wouldn't have shared otherwise. In reality, his project would definitely not be IRB approved. But, that's not to say that what he did wasn't helpful for the humanities, in that his story gives people a tiny glimpse of what it was like to be black in the 50s. As for his data, I would say that although its a good story but maybe not scientifically or academically rigorous.
As for my research, I'll be living among these women who might look a little like me, but I will always be a foreigner in the way that I look at them and research about them. I will try to fit in and immerse myself in the culture and customs, however I think that from an objective point of view, like the outsider, but still on the inside (through participating and observing) is a good perspective to have for research, in that you can be objective and you're not too involved to the point that you can't interpret and bring back scientific data.

April 6

Because the semester is coming to a close, and our departure date is drawing near, anxiety and fear have been creeping over my mind. Even after the prep class and tons of research, I still feel pretty unprepared and therefore apprehensive about going. At first I was really excited, and it just didn't hit me what this whole field study experience would actually entail. At first I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I've lived abroad before, I've moved to places where I didn't know anybody, but it all doesn't seem to matter. I'm getting thrown into an island in the middle of the ocean where I don't know the language and it's pretty frightening!
After a few discussions on culture shock I didn't pay much attention because I felt like I wouldn't experience that or that I knew how to handle my stress. Now that I'm freaking out a little bit, I realize that I will most likely experience culture shock, and I know I'll experience a lot of stress and frustration due to culture shock, and a lot of it will come from not being able to control things like I do here. Things I'm going to need: patience, understanding, optimism and positive thinking.
I'm going to need patience to be able to let things go that bother me, and be able to move on and just learn to love what I've got. Understanding, because the better I understand and want to know the culture, the less stressed out it will be living in a foreign place. Optimism and positive thinking are things that I need because having your attitude is about 95% of your experience, and about 5% what actually happens to you.
Hopefully by being prepared for culture shock, I will be able to have a better experience abroad and not have a total meltdown while I'm there!

April 4

Friday we got the chance to practice observations in the wilk. I watched a table and drew a picture of the body language and tried to be objective. It was kind of fun, but I realize that a lot of the time I want to interpret things and assume something, and it can be a little valid here since it's my own culture, but if I'm in Tonga, I can't make value statements based on my culture because it could be completely wrong! Then Dallin had us go "enter" into the community, and we had to talk and meet with a group. I tried to find some people that looked friendly but I realize that everybody here is so private about their lives and the things they do! I caught myself thinking, well they don't want to be bothered, or they wouldn't want to talk to me. Let's just say I'm grateful that the people in Tonga are so friendly and nice and hopefully it will make entering into the community a lot easier! Basically the biggest lesson I learned for my project is that I have to make sure I don't interpret things based on my own culture and understandings of things. Once I get to know the culture better and see patterns and ask people about it, I can start making interpretations for my research and write all about it!

April 1

Today was a great day because we had a cultural project for my language class. We got to help make and prepare Tongan food yesterday and today we got to eat it! Some of it was delicious, some of it was totally gross. Ufi and manioke is totally gross to me. So is breadfruit. However, the mango pinapple drink was DELICIOUS and so was the curry. The sipi was weird but I could eat it. Even though the food wasn't my favorite I know I'll get used to it and I have to eat so maybe it won't taste as bad if I'm STARVING!
Even though I wasn't a huge fan of all the roots, I am not dejected and I am still excited to go to Tonga. The trip is in about a month for me, and I can't even describe how excited I am. Even if I don't like the food I know the experience will be amazing and I just can't wait to get to know the people and experience a new culture.

March 26

Today we talked about concerns that we had about going into the field.
I'm not a huge worrysome person, and I just go with the flow, and I'm just flexible like that! All this planning before-hand for I'm supposed to be doing for the next 5 months is way hard because I have no idea what I'm doing in the next 5 days!
So, whenever they ask a question about "what would you do if..." I just roll my eyes and think "I'll figure it out when I get there!" Additionally, all these "what ifs" are completely situation and dependent on the circumstances.
But then Ashley asked us a question about how would we notice the needs of others and be able to respond to them. How will we know when we see a need that needs fufilling? Do you ever notice the needs of others? Do you ever notice what kinds of things you never notice?
After she asked us that the whole group kind of went silent and I knew I didn't have an answer and I don't think anyone else did. I guess I never notice what I don't try to notice.
So, for the next week I want to try to notice the things that I never notice. I want to see if I can pick up on other people's needs and anything else I would never pick up on. I know that if I am keeping a watchful eye out for specific things I would normally ignore, then I can get a good feel and practice what it's like and be able to do it in the field.
This will be good for my field study, in that I will be able to better see the needs of others, be able to serve more, and be able to reciprocate appropriately for my host family and that way I don't look like a total jerk in Tonga! I will report how I improve/notice more things next week!

March 25

Wednesday was a fantastic day for my experience with Tongan culture! In our language class we had planned on going to Salt Lake to the Tongan store but didn't end up going because we didn't have enough money to get all the stuff for the 'umu on Saturday, so instead we went to a little Tongan/Polynesian restaurant and had food and a really delicious tropical drink. Although I'm pretty sure the food was a little Americanized, also the soda fountain machine gave it away a little too, it was still a fun experience to be able to talk to Sione and he could just tell us stories and we asked questions about the culture and tried to understand better.

Then we got the opportunity to go to the BYU luau and it was such a great experience. I think a lot of people kind of lump all of Polynesia together as the same but in watching all the different performances from all the different countries, it was clear to see that they were all unique and special in their own way! I really enjoyed the Tongan dancing and I was surprised that during the show I could pick up words that I recognized and I was able to understand a word here and there. It was an extremely beautiful show and hopefully I'll be able to learn some Tongan dances while I'm down there. It would be a great cultural experience and it will help me to build relationships with the wonderful people of Tonga.

I'm really grateful for our language and cultural prep classes before Tonga, because I feel like we will be able to go to Tonga wanting to learn about the culture and not just have an extended vacation there. It seems like a lot of tourists just skim the surface of the lifestyle in Tonga and other Polynesian cultures, and I think that can be the case for international internships and study abroads(obviously not all). There's so much more than just dancing and food, but there are ways of life, ways of thinking, family norms and unique cultural aspects to other countries that are so much more meaningful if we can experience them in contrast to our own and what we're used to. Hopefully that makes some sense. I'm just excited to be able to actually experience and live the culture, and not just see it.

March 23

I was asked how I thought I would be able to overcome the cultural problem of being western and asking for opinions on western culture. The problem that I foresee is that people might not want to offend me and not give me their true opinions on western culture and how it's affecting Tonga. In my proposal I talked about how I want to re assure them that I will not be offended and that I'm only interested in their honest opinions. I'm also going to maintain really good relationships with people so that they are more comfortable in being honest with me. I also plan on telling them that I am Hispanic so that maybe they will be willing to share more information with me since I'm not 100% white. I think the best way to overcome this problem is just to maintain really good relationships and I'm hoping that I'm enough of a people person to do that.

March 21

Today it was supposed to be spring (yesterday was the first official day). However, It was freezing and windy this morning when I walked to campus I didn't have a coat so I was so cold! I spent the whole walk up to campus complaining about the weather in my head and having a negative thoughts.
Tonight, while reflecting on what to write about, I realized what a terrible attitude I had today when things just weren't perfect. I realize that I can be this way a lot about many different things.
I heard Dallin say a couple times that there would be times in Tonga where we would just want to go home.
I can imagine this happening to me a lot if I have to walk a lot and I'm in pain and my knee hurts and the weather is bad and things aren't going right with my project or I'm hating the food or I'm homesick! If I don't have an attitude adjustment SOON, I'm probably going to have a bad time in Tonga.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I'm always a pessimist and that I can't get over things. I just realized that most of the time, it's my thoughts that are negative even when I try to be positive on the outside, so it doesn't always work out just right.
So, in preparation for good times and bad in Tonga, I want to start eradicating the negative thoughts I have. Throughout this week especially, I'm going to make sure to stop myself when I have a bad attitude and try to change my perspective and be happier when things aren't going my way! I just want to make sure that even when things get hard in Tonga I don't have to weigh myself down with negativity.

next time: domain analysis

March 16

In doing my new literature review I finally found a lot of good information not just about Tonga but about other studies similar to the one that I want to do. The effects of westernization on traditional cultures and people and attitudes toward westernization is a broad and widely researched topic. Vakalahi studied Pacific Islander students in America and how their culture affected their education. He discussed how Pacific Islander youth living in the US had to deal with modern culture and traditional culture pulling them either way. Western culture that is developing in Tonga presents an alternative to traditional ways that youth and young adults have to deal with on a day to day basis. Gewertz and Errington (2009) studied the Chambri of New Guinea and the effects of a modern television program geared towards New Guineans and a modern Christian youth group on the traditional society. They find that the youth involved in both traditional and modern aspects of New Guinea rejected both lifestyles as valued ways of living. However, attitudes toward modernization of their society, such as a video of their traditional dances with lights and cameras and people watching in western clothing made some people sad and they believed it discounted the richness of their culture. Lukere and Jolly (2002) studied women and modern medicine in Tonga. It was found that mā’uli, or traditional midwives, were more willing to incorporate modern medicine into their practices while the hospital staff acted antagonistic towards them. They found that women prefer the care of the mā’uli, while some consider the hospital to be more clean and safe. The Ministry of Health in Tonga is trying to convince mā’uli to encourage women to attend clinics and pre-natal training courses sporadically offered in Tonga. Such is an example of the struggle between traditional ways of life and western practices in the medical field due to different attitudes women have towards western practices versus traditional ones.
My studies differ from these in context, in that it will be a case study of the young women who are involved in traditional, gender-specific work while experiencing western culture influencing Tonga and their attitudes toward this influence.

March 14

So my project has taken a slight turn. My focus instead of families will be westernization in Tonga. As young women in Tonga, they experience the cultural traditions of weaving, but at the same time are experiencing westernization in Tonga. Tonga is still a monarchy, but theres been a push for democracy, a very western idea. Additionally, other western aspects of culture are taking over, and a lot of the people think that the Palangi (white) way is better. I really want to look at what kinds of perspectives that these women have who experience traditional aspects of the culture and what they think about western influences in Tonga.

March 9

Today and monday's class were all about different symbols that different cultures have. We have many symbols that are the same but represent different things (a t as a cross and a letter), as well as different symbols to represent the same thing (peace sign, dove, two fingers raised up). It's extremely important to recognize that symbols mean different things in other places, and things that we normally wouldn't have meaning on might be significant. An example is a cow here, which is just a farm animal we use to produce milk and meat, but in India the cow is extremely sacred and they wouldn't even think of eating one.
I don't know of any Tongan symbols that are different, but going along with that when we study another culture we have to realize that the way that they think is even different than our own. For example, Tongans are very connected with the nature around them, and have close ties with their families. In our culture, we don't think that way about nature and our society is becoming less and less family oriented. For my project I want to be able to learn about the way that Tongans think so I can better understand them and their culture. This is important because if you don't know about their symbols or what's sacred to them, you could really offend someone or even the entire community. I sure as heck don't want to do that when I'm trying to talk to people and research them!

March 7

In class we talked more about the article "Helping, Fixing, or Serving?" When I first read it, to be honest I didn't like it but I didn't want to say so because it sounded like a nice article that would have been a great church talk, however as an academic article I think it was pretty ridiculous. Then in class I found out that people in my group also didn't like the article. I disagreed about the definition of helping, and how you see people as weaker when you help them. I would disagree, because my definition of helping is just to offer assistance to those in need. When we serve people, it's pretty much the same thing. We offer of ourselves, whether it's our talents or our time or both!
In class Ashley erased the words helping, fixing and serving next to our definitions, and then I liked the article better. Without the semantics and definitions, there were concepts. The concepts were the attitudes behind when you are assisting somebody. If you do it because you want to appear better or stronger, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. If you are doing it because you have love and want to express that, then you are serving in the way that Christ would have you.
When I go do research, I don't want people to think I'm here to fix their ways or help them because I'm a "rich American" and my way of life is better. I also don't want them to think that I'm trying to change them. When I do research with people, I am going to tell them that this information is going back to the US in order to broaden people's cultural understandings, and is in no way to put them down or show that all other ways other than our own are dumb. The way they are is beautiful because it's different, and that alone is a good enough reason to research and study the culture in Tonga. Knowledge of a different culture shouldn't be intended for criticism of that culture, but perhaps criticism of your own, and realizing that there's another way of life other than your own.

Make-up Journal #2

Ah yes, another make up journal for the ones I missed before I was in the class.
Yesterday, I got the opportunity to talk to professor Ostraff from the art department. He spoke to me about how in Tonga, they don't even have a word specifically for "art." This makes sense, in that pretty much everything that people do is art. The way we walk or talk, the clothes we wear, how we style our hair... even things like cars, shoes, pillows, architecture etc they are all some sort of art, and it's such a broad and generally term that the word doesn't even mean anything! The things that people do that are creative can also have a utility, and at the same time things we use for utility can have aesthetics to which we can ascribe artistic qualities.
I like that Tonga doesn't have a word for art, in that, everything they do is art so there just isn't a word for "everything you can do." It makes a lot of sense.
As I go to Tonga, I am studying the weaving houses, and the women create art, but it's also their "job" or source of income, at the same time it's a social space where she can spend time with her family and/or friends, and at the same time, it's traditional and cultural, and the cloths will be used for important ceremonies or for gift giving. When you look at it this way, it's clear to see why there isn't a word for "art," because everything is sort of woven together (pun definitely intended). In Tonga, the womens relationships to the cloth is so much more than just a way to make money, or a form of art. It's multi-dimensional and it's super beautiful. I am excited to be able to take a closer look at what all that is like in the weaving houses!

March 4

In class, Sione talked about how western culture is views by the Tongans. Many Tongans believe that the palangi (white) way is better than the Tongan way. It made me really sad actually. While there are good things about our culture, there are probably more bad things that I can think of right now. If Tongans made a significant effort to become more western, I can imagine them adopting materialistic attributes that would make them extremely unhappy. Kaylee talked about how a girl refused to eat in front of her, and when asked the girl said that she didn't want to eat in front of her because Americans think Tongans are fat, so she didn't want Kaylee to see her eat and re-enforce the stereotype that all Tongans are fat. I was extremely saddened by this. If there are some western things that I wouldn't want Tongans (or anyone) to adopt, they are body image ideals, materialism, and acceptance of extreme inequality between people. By that I mean, the capitalistic mindset of poor people are poor because they are lazy and dumb. This is completely untrue, and I would argue that poverty and inequality is a result of the way society is set up in America.
So, as this relates to my project, I just hope that Tongans don't have the view that I think I'm better than them, or that I want to teach them my ways because I think they are better. I want to understand their ways, not impose mine on them. No one's beliefs or lifestyles are better than another's. We are all different, but in reality, everyone has a common goal of finding happiness, so we should be accepting and decide for ourselves what kind of lifestyle that we want to lead in order to create that happiness.

Make-up Journal (woot)

We read an article about Stephanie Sinclair who worked for months to gain access into various polygamous towns in order to photograph their lives. A lot of her photos look like she was just a fly on the wall taking pictures, while others (the group shot) was posed.
Her role as a researcher was more observationalist (considering she was not participating). She had to get permission from Warren Jeffs himself and from various leaders in the communities in order to get in, and then it took even longer for her to actually be able to photograph what went on inside.
It took her months to gain access, and her hard work paid off, she was able to take and share pictures that no one else has been able to get before. Doing so was a lot of work, especially due to the fact that she went in right after the raid at Yearning for Zion. She had to make sure that the people knew that her intentions were not to incriminate or investigate, but simply share their lives with others so they can better understand too.
This makes me think of my research in Tonga, because I have to gain trust in the people before they will share their lives with me. This may take a while, but hopefully not months because I only have 3 in the field!

February 28

Today's reading included an article about helping, fixing and serving.
The difference between them is that helping someone implies that they are superior and the one being helped is weaker. Fixing implies that the one who is being fixed is "broken." Then serving, is seeing life as whole and being equals.
While trying to think of why we were required to read this article, I came up with this: While abroad, we can't have the mentality that we are helping or fixing the people or a person. My intentions are not at all to try to change anyone while I'm there, if anyone is changing, it's going to be me. I'm not trying to fix anyone or tell them what's right and wrong about their culture, because who am I to say that? It reminds me of the movie we watched called Barbecue Area which is about going into a city of white people and commenting on their culture and trying to fix their problems. It's a parody on how developed countries feel like it's their need to go into indigenous people and tell them what they need and want because their lifestyle is wrong and barbaric. This kind of attitude is extremely ego centric, and one that we should not have. I should be going in with the attitude of serving, and just loving the people in Tonga like Christ would!