In January, I attended the national International Student Ministry staff conference for InterVarsity in Phoenix, AZ. I roomed with my team leader, Rachel, and got to see old friends, like Jovin.
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| Elevator selfie! |
For me, the most helping training during this conference was about cultural assumptions. Different cultures have different values, and some of them can be expressed on a continuum. We tend to believe our culture is "right," but it's helpful to look at the other side and see different interpretation of values.
Obviously, I'm not saying that every value is true or right. But there are many situations where we are quick to judge before trying to understand. Understanding different cultural values is also a good first step to being able to interact better with people from different backgrounds.
This list is adapted from Joe Ho’s: “Cultural Values Continuum - Definitions”
Where would you rank yourself on these continua? I've bolded my current location and included some notes on how I understand each of these topics, but I'm still learning.
IDENTITY
What's the source of your identity?
Identity from Self: Integrity means knowing and being true to yourself.
Identity from Community: Integrity means knowing and being true to your community.
American culture tend to be individualist. A lot of great things can come from this: innovation, inventions, and new ways of thinking. However, there's also a downside to individualist culture where people who are struggling may get lost or ignored. Learning about social justice work has helped me to see value in collectivist culture as well.
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| ISM Staff from the Pacific Region (CA and HI) |
TRUST: TASK/ RELATIONSHIP
What do you prioritize?
Task then relationship: Bonds are first built through shared task, and we trust that relationships will follow.
Relationship then task: Bonds are first built through relating, and we trust that tasks will follow.
Example of task-oriented behavior: Because there’s a long agenda to get through, the meeting leader goes through all the action items, and there’s no time for co-workers to interact relationally.
I'm productivity oriented, so accomplishing a task is typically my top priority. If people are goofing off, I might get frustrated with them. However... again, I've become more flexible here. A lot of these values were challenged for me during the Texas Tech/University of Houston mission trip to Merida, Mexico during my senior year of college. We had certain goals for the week (running a vacation Bible school, beach evangelism, community service) but were also warned that bad weather or broken vans could quickly change any of those plans. So we had a new goal: be patient. Talk to each other. Talk to folks in the community. If the "job" for the day didn't get done... it's ok! We still accomplished something by spending time with each other.
I'm productivity oriented, so accomplishing a task is typically my top priority. If people are goofing off, I might get frustrated with them. However... again, I've become more flexible here. A lot of these values were challenged for me during the Texas Tech/University of Houston mission trip to Merida, Mexico during my senior year of college. We had certain goals for the week (running a vacation Bible school, beach evangelism, community service) but were also warned that bad weather or broken vans could quickly change any of those plans. So we had a new goal: be patient. Talk to each other. Talk to folks in the community. If the "job" for the day didn't get done... it's ok! We still accomplished something by spending time with each other.
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LESS FACE / MORE FACE
Losing face means being shamed; giving face is honoring.
Less: Face or public image is important, but concerns for the face of self or others only impact behavior to a certain extent.
More: Concern for the face of self or others is the critical consideration in behavior and speech.
Example: The international student joins a group activity because of fear of being embarrassed (losing face) in front of peers.
I dislike worrying about face; it reminds me of being a perpetually embarrassed middler school student. College was a good experience in deciding that I would give myself a chance to speak up, take risks, and not worry so much if I wasn't doing it right. I still see value in saving face. For example, I try to represent my faith well by holding true to my convictions. However, I haven't been part of a community where there was pressure to save face, so I have less personal experience in this topic.
I dislike worrying about face; it reminds me of being a perpetually embarrassed middler school student. College was a good experience in deciding that I would give myself a chance to speak up, take risks, and not worry so much if I wasn't doing it right. I still see value in saving face. For example, I try to represent my faith well by holding true to my convictions. However, I haven't been part of a community where there was pressure to save face, so I have less personal experience in this topic.
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| We shared good stories from fall ministry on postcards |
COMMUNICATION
Direct Communication: Spoken and written words should stand on their own and be clear without additional subtext.
Indirect Communication: Nonverbal communication and subtext communicate as much as what is actually said.
Example: The American student’s new international acquaintance agrees to attend a sports event although he appears rather stressed and has mentioned how difficult classes are- he calls at the last minute to cancel. This is an example of indirect communication- a “yes” that maintains the relationship but really means “no.” Someone really aware of the contextual clues (the stressed look and mention of difficult classes) might have understood the no.
This is another category where I am very Western. In the past, I have felt distrustful toward people who use indirect communication because I'm more familiar with unhealthy forms of indirect communication, like passive-aggressiveness. I gained a helpful understanding this week on the subject. I found out that there are also healthy ways of communicating indirectly, and that people who use them clearly understand what each other think. (I don't know why I thought a whole culture wandered around being confused all the time... that wouldn't make sense.) Healthy indirect communication can include many forms of politeness, like letting someone down gently when you have news they won't like. And, I realized I also use indirect communication- I just hadn't thought of it that way. When I'm discussing a controversial subject and hoping to persuade my companion, I don't tell them: "You're wrong! Here's why!" Instead, I ask them thought-provoking questions about their perspective so they can see my concerns, or tell a story related to the issue. (I don't always do this well... obviously.) Providing examples and stories can be a form of indirect communication too. We love using the parables of Jesus, which was a way he would teach thoughtfully, rather than giving easy answers.
This is another category where I am very Western. In the past, I have felt distrustful toward people who use indirect communication because I'm more familiar with unhealthy forms of indirect communication, like passive-aggressiveness. I gained a helpful understanding this week on the subject. I found out that there are also healthy ways of communicating indirectly, and that people who use them clearly understand what each other think. (I don't know why I thought a whole culture wandered around being confused all the time... that wouldn't make sense.) Healthy indirect communication can include many forms of politeness, like letting someone down gently when you have news they won't like. And, I realized I also use indirect communication- I just hadn't thought of it that way. When I'm discussing a controversial subject and hoping to persuade my companion, I don't tell them: "You're wrong! Here's why!" Instead, I ask them thought-provoking questions about their perspective so they can see my concerns, or tell a story related to the issue. (I don't always do this well... obviously.) Providing examples and stories can be a form of indirect communication too. We love using the parables of Jesus, which was a way he would teach thoughtfully, rather than giving easy answers.
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| Rachel's group did a skit about training students with the end goal of them applying what they've learned in their home countries. |
RULES
Universal: The best rules should apply to everyone all the time.
Contextual: The best rules are flexible according to circumstances. It is important to treat people with different social positions differently.
I still hold skepticism about contextual rules if they allow letting people in positions of power get away with crimes or bad behavior, but punishing marginalized folks for the same behavior. But, a pure universal rule leaves no room for discernment. That's why our justice system includes components like a trial, not just to discover guilt, but to see if the person may have had an understandable reason for committing a crime, and shouldn't be punished as harshly. Even outside of a courtroom, I hold greater value on discerning circumstances than a black and white response to someone who has broken a rule.
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| ISM Staff Team |
POWER DISTANCE
Low Power Distance: Inequalities in power are de-emphasized. People feel free to challenge/question the leader.
High Power Distance: Differences in power are seen as normal. People are less likely to question those in power.
When a staff friend of mine was explaining this to me, several years ago, he said his favorite version of low power distance is the college professor whose students call them by their first name. They teach class sitting in the lawn, chatting about the subject, rather than lecturing at a podium. This is also the way InterVarsity tends to teach Bible studies, as a guided discussion. That feels strange to some international students. This week, we talked about how an international student might feel disappointed when a leader asks, "What do you think about this Bible story?" The student may be thinking, I spent my free time coming to hear from a wise leader. Why are they wasting my time asking my opinion? So finding a good balance between cultures take work.
WHERE CONTROL LIES (LOCUS OF CONTROL)
Internal: Control is largely inside the individual. There are few limits to what you can become if you try hard enough.
External: Control is external. Some things in life, including unhappiness, must be accepted as they are. Success is a combination of good luck and effort.
Growing up, I was annoyed with anyone who seemed to have an external locus of control. There are some people who seem to fill their lives up with excuses and justifications, and don't take responsibility for their actions. However, believing that everyone is in full control of their lives all the time is unrealistic.
In high school, I was furious when a weekend of pneumonia seemed to ruin my track season. I couldn't understand why something that used to be easy was suddenly hard. (Working harder gave me worse and worse results.) It wasn't until years later that a doctor confirmed for me that my lungs hadn't been done healing yet; their capacity was less than before.
Admitting that some things are out of my control is healthy. It also helps me have compassion for other's life experiences. Chronic illness, death in the family, and all sorts of happenstance can derail a life plan.
We've talked about this with Stephen's job. He's been incredibly successful, and he has worked hard and deserves it (internal control). But, when he first started with the company, about 50 people interviewed for his job. He was one of the youngest guys, and he asked for a low salary, because he didn't know what it was worth (external control). Both hard work and chance played a role in getting him where he is.
In high school, I was furious when a weekend of pneumonia seemed to ruin my track season. I couldn't understand why something that used to be easy was suddenly hard. (Working harder gave me worse and worse results.) It wasn't until years later that a doctor confirmed for me that my lungs hadn't been done healing yet; their capacity was less than before.
Admitting that some things are out of my control is healthy. It also helps me have compassion for other's life experiences. Chronic illness, death in the family, and all sorts of happenstance can derail a life plan.
We've talked about this with Stephen's job. He's been incredibly successful, and he has worked hard and deserves it (internal control). But, when he first started with the company, about 50 people interviewed for his job. He was one of the youngest guys, and he asked for a low salary, because he didn't know what it was worth (external control). Both hard work and chance played a role in getting him where he is.
Learning these different perspectives is important for International student ministry, but I find it valuable for many situations. It sheds light on conservative/liberal debates in America. It can be helpful for working across genders or in different families. I joke with my students a lot how marriage is helpful for getting a new view of yourself because what's "normal" for my family isn't "normal" for my spouse's family. We learn to see ourselves more clearly, and have an opportunity for development. What values, practices and beliefs do we want to keep, and which do we want to change?
While looking at a continuum, think of the left side as Western values and the right side as Eastern values. We typically meet International students who come from Eastern values, although many Western values have been increasing in the Eastern world. We wish our good values would be our primary export, but unfortunately we often often spread our bad values.
Other highlights of the week: Rachel gave a great talk about justice and hospitality. Some of the material for that talk is in her blog post: Being Good Guests in the Land, which she shared last Thanksgiving. She discusses how she has worked to honor native Hawaiians as a white person living in their land, encourages others to learn about and honor the native people where ever you live.
