Intercultural Communication: Kibbutz Ketura, Israel

Kibbutz Ketura operates unlike the majority of Israel. Founded in the 1970’s by a group of young adults, the Kibbutz runs under socialist ideology. This means that all members of the Kibbutz are equal in the eyes of the community. Kitchen duties are shared, houses are relatively the same size, no members are allowed to own cars, and income is shared equally among the residents. It is expected of all members to work to their highest individual ability and each member must turn over their paychecks to the Kibbutz to be distributed to the members via equal allowances per member. The rules of the Kibbutz were created and are adapted by democratic voting done by the Kibbutz members (this group does not include volunteers, those renting homes in the Kibbutz, students, and children). The Kibbutz is technically a Conservative Jewish community, but many of those residing in the Kibbutz do not practice the religion. In fact, being a conservative community is very rare for all of Israel, so I would consider this Kibbutz a sub-culture in the country, for that reason. It is also a place that is very accepting, welcoming, understanding, and appreciative of diversity and expression of differences, which is another rare attribute to find.

View of Kibbutz Ketura from above. The isolation of this unique can be explained deeper with this image. The physical separation of the community is depicted.

Despite the differences in religious practices found on the Kibbutz, the dining hall is 100% kosher and Shabbat is observed within all communal locations. Therefore, the framing culture of the Kibbutz is Conservative Judaism, but I have encountered many sub-cultures within this space. For instance, there are volunteers who work around the Kibbutz for a very small wage, young adults who are either awaiting their military service, or who have just returned from serving their military time, and the students of the Arava Institute, of which I am a part. Interestingly, there are many co-cultures within the Arava Institute student body. The student population consists of Israelis, Americans, Jordanians, Canadians, Palestinians, and Latin Americans. Because of this broad range of cultures mixing on campus, the cultural identity of the student body is hard to pinpoint. This multiculturalism is intentionally created by the Institute to encourage diverse conversations and to expand the learning within the classrooms throughout the entirety of each student’s stay in Israel. We will be learning just as much in the classroom as we will be from our peers.

             On the last day of orientation week we took a day trip around the Arava Valley, the area surrounding the Kibbutz. We were told to meet outside of the dining hall at 7pm, with the warning, “DO NOT BE LATE!” That morning five American students and myself showed up to the dining hall within five minutes of our departure. I expected many students to be there already and be patiently waiting for the trip to begin. When we walked up to the building, there were no other students waiting outside, but there were a few students inside eating breakfast. After waiting around for five more minutes, only half of the students had arrived, and finally our program director, the man taking us on our trip, appeared. It wasn’t until 7:15pm that everyone showed up and our trip began… and I had thought we weren’t supposed to be late! Apparently, in this country scheduled times for many activities are flexible within ten to fifteen minutes of the designated time. In America, many times if you show up at the exact time in which a meeting, or class, or event begins you find that you are actually late or have already missed some important information or event.  Although I had done incredible amounts of research on this country and the cultures within it, this is something that I had never come across. It is just something that has to be experienced in order to be understood. I can’t wait to experience more of this/these cultures and add to my breadth of understanding of this beautiful country.

Two cats on the Kibbutz. Not only is the community laidback, all of the animals on the Kibbutz live very relaxed lives. Allowed to roam freely all day, pets are only required to be inside during the night.

Intercultural Negotiations: Kibbutz Ketura

After seven days in Israel and the mind-boggling influx of stimulus that came with orientation and the first two days of classes, at the Arava Institute, I can say with certainty that this experience will help me to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined back home. There are some interactions that demand your attention for days afterwards and with a group of 50 or so students and interns from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, and the United States cohabiting day in and day out for four and a half months, those interactions are bound to become much more frequent.

One type of interaction has struck me more profoundly than others. Before we go any further, my intention here is not to stereotype an entire nation based on the few people I’ve interacted with, but to try to process my experience. So far, I’ve been surprised by several interactions to find that how valued assertiveness is in Israeli culture.

In cultural studies, there are several categories used to contrast cultures. One of the major ways to contrast cultures is in the value placed on individualism and collectivism. Individualistic cultures value self-expression, speaking out, and confrontation while collectivist cultures value loyalty, and politeness. We like to think America is individualistic, but it’s clear to me that Israel is more individualistic than America.

In my individual interview to register for classes with the academic director, he responded very positively when I told him what I was interested in. When I answered immediately “Renewable energy, especially solar”, he said, “No hesitation – I like it!”

Letting others go first has been met with marginally less positive responses. I’ve gotten the impression it is seen as meek and slow to not stand your ground

An Israeli friend taught me the Israeli way to deal with a person who cuts in front of you (be it in a line or not) is to tap the person’s shoulder, maintain eye contact, and say (phonetically) “I-Eatie-Po”, to let them know, in no uncertain terms, that you are there. It is literally facing a conflict head on.

In class the culture of assertiveness is much the same. When a teacher says something that isn’t correct or leaves out a piece of information, the Israelis have addressed it immediately.

I’ve noticed the strong urge, in myself, to meet this cultural standard, but I have also felt that if I act differently as soon as I am placed in a different culture, that I am somehow turning my back on the way I was raised. Still, I think I can learn something useful from this culture. While it is unfamiliar and uncomfortable now, that is sometimes how we grow the most.

Intercultural Negotiations

Greetings everyone,

I've been in Seville for close to four weeks and there are many things which have caught me by surprise regarding how the Spanish arrange their day.When I looked through the assigned reading for this blog and examined its commentary on culture, I came across a sentence which reads "Don’t assume that you can learn about intercultural communication by staying in your comfort zone. Even if it is awkward at first, you need to expose yourself to different cultures." This advice can certainly be applied to my experience in Spain. Mostly, however, my exposure to the cultural differences here revolved around how the day is organized here which is a bit peculiar.


Something which I was aware of before was that time is recorded in military time so 5 p.m. would be 17:00 over here. Moreover, the Spanish day places great emphasis on having set periods of both rest and meals. This rest period, known as a siesta, takes place between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. and during this time, shops and businesses are closed and this is generally when people go to eat their lunch. Many a time, I've gotten finished with my classes at the University of Pablo de Olavide at 3:00 and when I get home, I get back to my residence at about 3:45 and not only are many shops closed but lunch is no longer being served at my residence. I found this to be highly inconvenient but it was something I knew I needed to get used to. One thing which helped me greatly was when I expressed my issue with the food schedules, I got help from some of the other students here who offered me alternative ways I could get my lunch for the day and so far those alternative methods are working.By the way, all of the food I have had so far has been great so taste is not an issue just access.


Dinner here is also at a later hour then I am used to for it starts at 9:00 p.m. which I assume implies means that the siesta is meant for people to sleep after a large lunch and then have a small dinner. This arrangement seemed  strange at first but then I thought of it this way: three o-clock here would be about 9:00 back home and I'm just eating a large breakfast and similar to this, the 9:00 dinner is really a late lunch which is just a way to put these meals into a context around which I could wrap my head. It hasn't been perfect but I've found ways to make it a pleasant experience.  


Being an American over here in Spain has prompted me to identify myself as belonging to a co-culture and this designation has not changed yet because it's a new place and like any new situation, there are new people to meet and new relationships to establish and for now at least, I'm beginning to feel more welcome here and am more at ease when I walk to the metro stop. As my Spanish skills improve by becoming a second language, I hope that my cultural skills improve as well as I become more integrated into Spanish culture.

I'm taking this warning to heart so as not to insult the norms and rules of a society or culture without inviting scorn
I have done this and I don't plan to. 

How Others See Us: Due on Feb. 28, 2015

How Others See Us: Due on Feb. 28, 2015

Please interview 2-3 individuals from your host destination on how they view Americans, or if you are in a domestic destination, how they view people from small town America. 

·       Please try and incorporate interesting phrases or statements they make that bring their observations to life.

·       Ask them what they base their beliefs on, and whether they see you as fitting the image they have in their minds? Why/why not?

Do use the subject header "How Others See Us" for your entry as well. Thanks!

Intercultural Negotiations: Kibbutz Ketura

                                                                                                                                                 

I have now been at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies for 5 days and it is truly like no other place I have experienced. In preparation for this trip, many of the cultural cues I have been given were about Jewish Israelis, the dominant group at Kibbutz Ketura where AIES is located. However, AIES is comprised of students from over 10 countries spanning from Latin America, North America, Europe, and the Middle East.This has led to a whirlwind of situations that have highlighted the intercultural differences between us all. One such experience was while going over the welcome packet during registration.

This has led to a whirlwind of situations that have highlighted the intercultural differences between us all. One such experience was while going over the welcome packet during registration.

It was late in the afternoon after a jam-packed day, and everyone was exhausted when the director of student life decided to go through the orientation packet. For the most part it was the standard "Don't do drugs", "Don't put tape on the walls", "Do go to class". Everything was pretty standard until we went over the hours of operation of the facilities around the Kibbutz including the hours of operation for the health clinic, library, Aspaka (the store), and post office.

Every student from America had their jaw drop. The hours were sporadic, and this was compounded by the fact that the hours could change from week to week. On the other hand, one native Israeli exclaimed "Those are GREAT hours!" The students from Latin America were rather unmoved either way. After a little bit of joking, we moved onto the next point on the welcome packet. Only after doing the reading was I able to put a name to the phenomenon I had just witnessed: cultural differences in "uncertainty avoidance".

Americans, specifically myself, have a very high "avoidance uncertainty" quotient, especially in business matters. We like to know exactly the what, where, when, why, who, and how of any situation we will find ourselves in, and when we don't have this information, we feel disrupted/thrown off balance. Most Middle Easterners, on the other hand, have low "uncertainty avoidance". From this experience, it appears that Latin Americans fall between the extremes of Middle Eastern and American avoidance uncertainties to land somewhere in the middle. I can already tell that this is going to be a large hurdle for me.

Shortly after the orientation-talk one of my Israeli friends asked me about why I was so taken back by the flexible hours of business. A few other students of Middle Eastern descent joined into the conversation, freely asking questions about my viewpoint and where I was coming from. I believe this reflects a higher amount of "transpection" in Middle Eastern Cultures. Perhaps it is due to their close proximity to so many different countries and cultures, or maybe openness is just more valued. Either way, I hope to be able to match their "transpection" in my own actions to help increase communication while decreasing misunderstandings between us.

Intercultural Negotiation

Ecuador has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, with 25% indigenous people, 65% of mixed indigenous and European descent, and 10% afro-Ecuadorians. Even in a metropolitan city like Quito, indigenous cultures have a considerable influence on local customs. My family is catholic, but they practice Quichua traditions such as rubbing herbs on the body to induce healing or putting an egg to your head to soak up negative thoughts. To a westerner, this seems like nonsense. However to many people in Ecuador, it is part of their culture. It is part of their worldview.

            My first encounter of with these cultural differences was during orientation. Our program invited a shaman from a nearby Andean Quichua community. He led us through a ritual to celebrate the start of our program. He spread out blankets in the grass and created an alter-like arrangement with flowers, flower petals, candles, and fruits. He described the significance of the ritual, explaining how it honors la Pacha Mama (Quichua for Mother Nature). He chanted prayers, played music with a zampona (pan flute), and put flower petals on our heads. The ceremony was truly beautiful and moving. It was a wonderful way to be introduced to the rich and diverse cultures of Ecuador.

            We often talk about the concept of a worldview in my classes here. This is an especially important topic in Ecuador because of its great cultural diversity. The problem that many indigenous communities in this country face is that, historically, their ideas and values have not been respected by the mestizo community. Recently, there has been a shift in both society and the government towards the incorporation of indigenous knowledge and viewpoints. On a personal level, the acceptance of others viewpoints that differ drastically from one’s own can be immensely challenging. By practicing what Hybels calls “transpection,” or trying to see the world through other’s cultures, individuals and communities can begin to break down stereotypes.

            I have faced a number of challenges regarding these cultural differences. The ritual during orientation was just one of many customs and values that have been difficult to adjust to. Some common foods in Quito include guinea pig, soup with chicken feet, goat, and cow intestines to name a few. As westerners, we have a tendency to devalue anything that doesn’t correspond with our customs, our worldview, and western science. In doing so, however, we ignore immense bases of wisdom and the potential for cooperation and innovation. Among many other aspects, I am deeply moved by the way in which many indigenous communities treat the environment. Unlike Western capitalism, which exploits resources for human use, local Ecuadorian tribes see the human being as part of nature meant to coexist alongside it. The influence of indigenous views of the environment is evident in Ecuador’s new Constitution of 2008, which is the first Constitution in the world to give rights to nature itself.

            My first few weeks in Ecuador have truly altered my perspective on cultures dissimilar to mine. There is an important difference between accepting others worldviews and truly respecting and valuing them. This is what I am currently working on. When I experience a foreign custom or strange food, I try to remove myself from my own stereotypes and assumptions and recognize the value of the situation from a different worldview.

Intercultural Negotiations: Due on Feb. 18, 2015

   

Intercultural Negotiations:  Due on Feb. 18, 2015

(Please read “Intercultural Communication” – Hybels Ch. 3)

For this entry, please write about a specific encounter or experience in your host destination that has made you aware of intercultural differences in the way we conduct business, or etiquette, or rituals around everyday life.

Your comparison is not to produce a moral evaluation of whether such a difference is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but rather, to provoke you to ask your local hosts about the significance behind what you have observed, and therefore, to educate the reader. Please incorporate an aspect of the assigned reading in your post.

Remember to use the subject header "Intercultural Negotiations." Thank you!