Various Cultures During The First Meeting With Foreign

Cultural differences range in an extensive range, and language is one part of it. Language is saturated with many cultural matters. Local culture, the environment along which one grew up, and other cultural matters such as the family they were born into are the cultural factors that make one language different from the others. Therefore, cultural diversity and language diversity go hand in hand. The term language itself, however, is not exclusive to verbal communication or the words delivered. It is profoundly how one delivers the entire words or speech. Language includes oral language, body language, intonation, inherited virtues, and religious provision. Out of all that make a language, this essay is intended to expose the attempt to manage to have a conducive first cross-cultural meeting.

Numerous numbers of handling international affairs have aroused throughout time and across the globe. Along with it, it carries various cultures to the melting pot in which all cultures fuse and adapt to one another. Trueba & Zou, 1994 assumed that culture is a broader umbrella concept, and that language is a part of the culture. In fact, language is an essential part of a culture. Culture and language are so inseparable that they have to coexist to prolong. Subconsciously, language forms the way one perceives the world and interprets every literature and linguistic input that they are consuming. This speaks a lot of why people catch different messages than the other when the delivered message is precisely the same. Language and culture build perspectives. However, the backbone of linguistic comprehension is not limited to the extrinsic cultural factors like their local environment, constitutional regulation, and artsy components. The intrinsic part of comprehending languages plays a significant role, too. Someone's capability and developed skills in learning, their hereditary factor, and other inherent biological set partake in one's language processing phase, also.

It is argued that there are two types of speakers in the linguistic world, namely the coconut type and peach type. One is the exact opposite of the other. Coconut people tend to have an invisible hard wall, just like coconuts do, which shows through the way they retain from giving personal information. Other people often find coconut people challenging to approach. The coconut-cultured people take it as politeness. On the contrary, peach-cultured people are more friendly and approachable since they light "skin" is easy to be penetrated. They are prone to give personal information, and their cheerful traits are the essential part of their speech. This is what politeness is to them. The significant difference between the two types of linguistic cultures makes misunderstanding non-avoidable. Conversations are the melting pot where cultures from various backgrounds meet and collide. If not equipped with the correct amount of flexibility and adaptation, misunderstandings and misconception will quickly emerge.

These types are rooted deep far beneath where one has been growing up along. It has a lot to do with the geographical environment. In Asia, there are various ways of greeting people. Japanese people will be more likely to bow and call someone with their titles that denote their position in society. The other place, like in Indonesia, smiling and vibrant-sounding greeting, start the conversations. It is more likely for them to shake hands, but most religious people, especially Moslems, do not shake hands with the opposite genders. Likewise, Middle-Eastern people do not necessarily shake hands. Their cultural gesture is to fold hands in front of their chest and smile to the other parties. This gesture derives from the religious confinement that they uphold. There are also differences in verbal matters, e.g., how they speak, and how loud they do it. Asian people will find it rude if someone talks too loud to others. England and Spanish people speak loudly to avoid mishearing words and indicate high self-esteem as the first impression. They have been growing up in such an environment since that is what politeness is to them. Speaking more silently will be taken as speaking under one's breath, thus is not polite to them.
In terms of address, English-speaking people countries tend to address others by their first name—e.g., John, Michael, Linda, Jane—rather than calling the person Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Howard, or Miss Jones. This applies to people of significantly different ages. Young people like children call their parents or grandparents with their first name. This indicates equality between all parties involved. Europeans do not regard it as disrespect, unlike the peoples in some countries in Asia that strictly have their own rules for titles mentioned prior to the other party's first name. For them, equality exists, and so does respect for older people, so they call older people with titles that suit their social status. (Afghari & Karimnia, 2007)

In order to avoid misunderstanding, there are a few strategic ways of speaking with someone from different cultural backgrounds for the first time. Flexibility ranks first in the most significant way to lessen inconvenience in conversations. Whosoever involved in the first meeting with strangers should not find it offensive if they do the things that their culture defies. In order for both sides to achieve freedom in oral communications, both sides need to be flexible. The safest way is to pre-study the other party's culture because learning a language is inseparable from learning its culture. If the first meeting is scheduled, then we shall prepare the things required to maintain a pleasant atmosphere by studying the environment or background that they come from. However, the cultural differences vary in an endless range, so having grace in first meetings is considered a game-changer.

Reference:
Afghari, A, Karimnia, A. (2007). Intercultural Communication Studies XVI: 1 2007. A Contrastive Study of Four Cultural Differences in Everyday Conversation between English and Persian, p. 1.

Kim, L. S. (2003). GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies. Exploring the Relationship between Language, Culture, and Identity, vol. 3(2)2003, p. 1.

Impact of Social Media for our life

Impact of Social Media for Our Life

Social media has been ingrained into our society today to such extent that it is virtually impossible for people to take you seriously, if you are not on any social media platform. Everyone is on social media – young, old, rich, poor etc. Everyone is always in a frenzy when it comes to socializing online. Even the corporate world has jumped into the bandwagon and companies are very active online, posting updates and answering queries.

There are many social networks to choose from; some of the popular ones include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. As the popularity of social media keeps on spreading all over the world, there have been mixed feelings about these networks and how they impact the youth. So, how does social media affect the youth?

To answer this question, we have to look at both the positive and negative impacts of social media on the youth. Going with the former first, social media has reduced the world to a global village. Youth can interact with people from other parts of the earth by just a click of the button.

Through these interactions, young people can share ideas, acquire information and also be exposed to many opportunities out there. Secondly, social media give them the avenue and opportunity to make new friends and also allows them to maintain their old friends. With social media, they can trace their former friends by simply typing their names or just indicating the school they attended. Then, the network will do all the dirty work and link them to all people they went to school with.

Apart from just socializing, the social networks have become frontiers for the corporate world to advertise their goods and services. They may either do it directly or pay celebrities to advertise their products for them. Therefore, social media offers an array of opportunities for youth. Popular young people can be hired by corporations to be their brand ambassadors online.

In addition, they can earn a considerable amount of money by running podcasts and vlogs. Social media is also an avenue that they can use to showcase their talents. Youth can also run businesses through social media. They may share whatever goods and services they offer to friends and in groups and for a wider coverage, they may sponsor their posts to reach more people.

It is also an avenue where people can express their honest opinions. People who are naturally shy may say whatever they wish in public forums, without the fear of serious repercussions. It is also a cheaper means of communication. What is required is just internet bandwidth and a few keystrokes and users can communicate with virtually anyone on earth. Social media has also made it possible for people to work from anywhere on earth. This is referred to as virtual teaming. Though hired in the same organization, these virtual workgroups are operate from different parts of the earth. However, their communication is done online.

On the flip side, the internet is an unregulated world that has no form of morals or laws to abide to. Young people are exposed to gore images of murder victims, accidents, rape cases or even video footages of gun shootings, violence, verbal outbursts, nudism and explicit sexual content. All these kinds of gore content are in the domain of young people and when consumed for a long time can lead to serious mental breakdowns. For instance, they will start having anxiety attacks and fear of the real world. Whatever they see is registered in their minds and they believe that the world is a bad place, but that is not entirely true. More than 90% of the earth is a safe haven with so many untapped opportunities.

Too much social media also leads to addiction. Society today is full of people seating next to each other, not talking, but just staring at their phones. Youths are spending more time with their social media friends than with their families, friends and loved ones. When they wake up, the first thing they check is their social media accounts. Before they go to sleep, the last thing they check are the updates.

At work, there is reduced productivity because people are busy spending working hours perusing through social media pages. With too many distractions, they cannot fully concentrate on their tasks. Take away social media for a day and the effects will start to kick in. Just like drug addicts, they will be withdrawn and stressed.

People are obsessed with likes and comments and they will do anything to get them on a daily basis. Everything they do, they post them on forums to get some form of approval from strangers. Some people adopt fake personalities to show the world that they made it. They do things that they would never dare do in real life just to impress people. They work tirelessly to buy the latest outfits, eat expensive meals and visit exotic places just for a show. Since they cannot get the same love in real life like they do in social media, they dedicate their lives fully to the social networks. Everything falls apart however when their popularity wanes and they may get into serious psychological problems, such as depression.

These social platforms are also risky and dangerous and may be frontiers of crime. The first crime that comes to mind when we talk about social media is cyberbullying. Most people in social media fake both their personas and personal information. Then there are those who are actually themselves in social media.

Most times than not, the fake ones bully and humiliate the real ones. While many people may argue that it is not that serious and young people are just having fun. The truth of the matter is that some people get affected, especially when the insults revolve around their insecurities such as looks, religion or social status. Furthermore, it is quite easy to trace anyone using their social media information, such as location, school attended and place of work. So, if a criminal wanted to target at someone, the first place he will look for information is social media.

Social platforms also pose serious health hazards for users. Staring for long at the PC may lead to eye problems. Furthermore, avid users maintain a life of inactivity and lack of movement. They are therefore likely to suffer from obesity and are exposed to obesity-related diseases, such as heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. Furthermore, they become socially inept. They cannot start conversations or interact with people.

This can be detrimental to their lives in the future, because to maintain relationships there has to be some form of communication. Also, the networks are full of trolls or individuals who gain fun spreading propaganda and false information. This can drive people into hysteria, if the fake news involves their friends and loved ones.

One major development in the corporate world is that employers monitor their employees’ social media accounts. So, if employees post things that put the company in a bad light, then the company has no option but to relieve them off their duties. People usually assume that the employer tolerates whatever the employees do online. As a result, the company’s image takes a heavy blow whenever its employees misbehave.

Lastly, social media takes away empathy from its users. We see people getting into trouble, but instead of getting help from the people present, their misfortune is recorded and the footages posted on social media. The poster expects likes and comments, while the others have a field day judging, mocking and making fun of the person recorded.

There are instances where people announce the challenges they are going through. It may be sickness or lose of a loved one or a broken relationship. We see people posting their condolences or consolation messages to make the poster feel good. The reality of the matter is that they do not feel any form of remorse.

They just do it out of natural conviction and forget about the incident as soon as they move to the next post. As for the person suffering, he/she does not feel any better. In fact, a person who is physically visited by few friends and loved ones feels much better than a person who gets a million messages on social media with no actual visits.

As Albert Einstein once said, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Social media is a great way to pass time and see whatever is happening around the world. It is very interesting and also very addictive. However, social media is eclipsed by so many challenges, because it is unregulated.


Reference :
https://www.apa.org/members/content/social-media-research
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/impact-of-social-media/
https://www.simplilearn.com/real-impact-social-media-article
https://spunout.ie/news/article/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health

HEDGING

KEEP PRODUCTIVE DURING QUARANTINE

         The corona virus outbreak has reached Indonesia, since the first case COVID19 on 2 March 2020 until now more than 15,000 people have been infected with the virus. Because of that the government appealed to the public to do self-quarantine at home. Reducing out of the house, and doing work at home or doing everything at home. While at home we can do many things, without feeling bored. So, here are some tips that might help you to stay productive at home.

First make a morning routine. Usually at home we become more lazy but be a morning person at quarantine times. For example, getting up in the morning, drinking a cup of tea in the morning and doing a little  stretching in the house. You can also sunbathe outside the house around 9 to 10 am. The second is cleaning the room. Maybe on normal days you are too busy with campus and rarely clean your room. Then, this is the right time to do cleaning activities. Make your home the place that gives you energy.

Next, eat healthily. When quarantine, usually people prefer fast food. Though these foods do not have high nutritional value for our body. Well, at this time it helps us cook our own food. You can try new recipes on Google or YouTube. In addition to improving your cooking skills, this is also ensure that you eat foods that are definitely healthy. Because its made by yourself.

Fourth, doing exercise. After eating healthy foods, don't forget to exercise. So many gyms, yoga and pilates studios are currently offering free online classes, take advantage of that! Or you can find some videos on Youtube about exercise. Doing physical activity will help you feel happier and energized. And doing exercise regularly! And last, stay in touch with friends. Social isolation doesn’t mean that you can’t be close to those you love. Staying (digitally) together is easier than ever before! Schedule regular calls with friends, or bestie. You can use whatsapp or skype to doing video call, or make fun with online games, i suggest you to play Ludo games.

Although we do not know when the corona virus disappeared from Indonesia which requires us to do self-quarantine at home. But don't make you a lazy person. Let's stay productive and do some of the suggest before ! Keep safe everyone !

HOW TO HANDLE CORONA VIRUS !

        In this world there are many infectious diseases, and what is in a stir right now is about the COVID-19 virus. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus is more dangerous than the H1N1 virus. There are thousands of people who died because of this virus, therefore we must be aware of it. There are several ways to prevent contracting this virus.

    Every day we unconsciously hold objects that are around us like money, handphone or something else. And we know that the object is not sterile. In this case, don't touch your face with your hand before you wash your hand. Because, our hand has many bacteria and virus if Corona Virus has on your hand and you are touch your face you will be infected with the virus. Because we know about that, so we should bring handsanitizer or always wash your hands after handling objects such as cellphones or money to kill all the viruses that are in our hands.

   Second we must know about cough etiquette. When we get couch we must close our mouth with tissue or with Handkerchief. Because this virus spreads through droplets such as saliva and sweat, even we didn't have this virus on our body, but this option must we do it. And after that, dont forget to sterile your hand with handsanitizer.

     Next, Social distancing or minimize contact with otheer people to diminish the risk of contagion. If an infected person sneezes and can spits out saliva usually it is up 1 meter. So, you should away from another and just stay in your home or you'll be infected from others.

    Those are some ways to avoid the corona virus, still healthy and please just stay at home and dont forget to eat nutritious foods to keep your body healthy, and always keep yourself clean.

My experience about scout.

     The Scout movement, also known as Scouting or the Scouts, is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed, in accordance with the purpose, principles and method conceived by the founder, Lord Baden-Powell. Scout movement originated in British in 1908. Scouting is one of the many extracurriculars in the school. When I was in high school I chose Boy Scouts as my extracurricular choice because it really caught my attention. In scouting I got a lot of experience and lessons.

    First about Independence. As scouts we are required to be independent and not spoiled. There is no such thing as being spoiled or whining. As scouts we must be strong and resilient. At Boy Scouts we are trained to be strong and not weak, be brave too. Then about Teamwork, a scout is required to work together with their team. We usually called squad. And also how can we solve problems without using too much emotions. When there is a competition, teamwork is needed to win. 

   Then, get lots of new friends. Usually when we have a campsite, we can make new friends between classes or between schools and even between districts. Regardless of race, religious ethnicity, we can befriend others. In one of the camps that I have been to, the 'Raimuna Nasional XI' there I met many friends from Sabang to Merauke. And getting acquainted with friends from Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, they are very friendly.

   Next, understand how important it is to care more about the environment. For example, by teaching us to be a person who is more sensitive to the environment and not someone who is careless to the environment. Because as human we must be care about environtment. We must know what is happening in our environment, for example if there are natural disasters. When I was a boy scout, we held a fundraiser for flood victims in Bangkinang a few years ago. Very happy to see them accepting our help with a happy face. 

    Having experience as a scout member is very precious and I feel worth to follow it when high school although most people say that scouts are dirty but I do not care because there I get a lot of benefits and experience that I will not get anywhere.

The Scout movement, also known as Scouting or the Scouts, is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed, in accordance with the purpose, principles and method conceived by the founder, Lord Baden-Powell. Scout movement originated in British in 1908. Scouting is one of the many extracurriculars in the school. When I was in high school I chose Boy Scouts as my extracurricular choice because it really caught my attention. In scouting I got a lot of experience and lessons.

First about Teamwork, a scout is required to work together with their team. We usually call with the word squad. How can we solve problems without using emotions. When there is a competition, teamwork is needed to win.

Then, get lots of new friends. Usually when we have a campsite, we can make new friends between classes or between schools and even between districts. Regardless of race, religious ethnicity, we can befriend others. It can make us look at the world very broadly. Or get new friends who can be good friends with us. Its so fantastic have a friend from different school!

Next, understand how important it is to care more about the environment. For example, by teaching us to be a person who is more sensitive to the environment and not someone who is careless to the environment. Because as human we must be care about environtment. 

Actually there are still many but it may take more than one weeks to tell about it hehe. Having experience as a scout member is very precious and I feel worth to follow it when high school although most people say that scouts are dirty but I do not care because there I get a lot of benefits and experience that I will not get anywhere.

HEY HO !

Hello my name is Tiara Mutia Listy. My friends usually call me ara or aramu ☺️ I am a student at the University of Riau, a faculty of education and teaching in English Education. I became a student at this university in 2018, and now I have stepped on semester 4.

My hobby is watching films or dramas, films or drama from any country. I really like the thriller genre because it is very tense and makes me curious at the same time. some good films for you guys! So wait for it. Alright that's all for today. Thanks for reading!