Hello everyone,
I am from Nigeria and the cultural perspective is way different from the United Sates. When I was a child, we did things differently. We are a family of 2 girls and 3 boys, I am the oldest so I carry most of the responsibilities. We cook everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We go to church every Sunday and when we get back, I either stay at my mum’s shop or make food for the family. We were taught to be responsible at a very young age and I am really grateful for that now that I am an adult. I lived and currently living with my parents all my life and that is totally normal for me as a lady. A man can decide to move out if he wants to. It is believed that a lady should only move into her husband’s house when the time is right.
Culture differs and everyday I learn different things about people. When I came into the United State, I was very surprised by the culture and how things are done. You have options and no judgement which is really great. There are some things about my culture I know I won’t change because it has helped shaped the woman I am today. Culture includes what people actually do and what they believe. Culture influences greatly how we see the world, how we try to understand it and how we communicate with each other. Therefore, culture determines, to a great extent, learning and teaching styles. The culture has a strong influence over our thinking, ideologies and understanding. As thinking is one of those aspects that keeps vacillating and growing with in us, shaping our life every time we learn something new. And the culture is one of those attribute which helps in augmentation of our cogitation.
The influence of culture on health is vast. It affects perceptions of health, illness and death, beliefs about causes of disease, approaches to health promotion, how illness and pain are experienced and expressed, where patients seek help, and the types of treatment patients prefer. Why Is Cultural Respect Important? Cultural respect is critical to reducing health disparities. It helps improve access to high-quality health care that is respectful of and responsive to the needs of diverse patients. Don’t make assumptions, explain every detail, ask about alternative approaches to healing, withhold judgments, accommodate and educate.
Hello Professor and class,
I am from the west indies and my family was my mother, father, and eight siblings. My mother was a teacher and so education was important in our home. we lived in a two-bedroom home, as I grew older my elder brothers found employment in the city and moved on to make a life of their own. My mother was religious she was Anglican and my grandmother was a Joviah Witness. As children, we attended church every Sunday morning and Sunday school in the evening and the focus was on religious studies. we were not allowed out of the home after 7.00 pm unless we were accompanied by an adult. Adults were very respected in those days and it was very rude to pass an adult without a good morning or hello . My grandmother was a Jehovah’s witness and practiced her religion in every way. she was totally against blood transfusion, she was observed with an ulcer to her right foot and was advised amputation was necessary, but before getting there she needed a blood transfusion, she refused transfusion and passes away for what she believed in.
Teenage pregnancy was. a very difficult issue in my time, I had two other sisters but, sex and family planning was never a subject that was discussed in our home. In America, young women are anxious to get pregnant to get benefits. education seems to take the back burner for some. On many occasions, I have heard women being treated with disrespect because of their culture and language barriers.
Cultural awareness is very important, the goals I would set for myself in improving my cultural awareness, each individual should be respected according to their choice and cultural awareness classes should be implemented to increase knowledge and manage each individual as a person. cultural awareness is an integral part of people’s life and respect should be given despite color creed or race.
The information obtained from this class will equip me with the knowledge of cultural differences, assist me in educating others on refraining from judging others and accepting people for who they are.
Hello Professor and class,
Think of a change in your cultural perspective that is different now from when you were a child: I remember growing up in a pretty large family, where gender norms were a thing. Men did “men” things such as work on cars, take out the trash, and work and the women did “women” things such as cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, and usually discipline. I recall hearing about individuals being gay, but in the community that I grew up in, being gay was something that one community was and my community was not if that makes sense. I remember thinking that the men in my community were never gay, but it was way more common in another community. That being gay was gross and bad. As a grew older, my family realized that one of my younger cousins was gay. There were certain clues when he was very young, but no one ever talked about it, so when he came out in his teens some of my family reacted negatively (mainly the men, in particular, one of my uncles), but he was accepted by most of the women in my family, we didn’t even think twice but to love him and accept him. Since then, obviously, my thinking as a child is completely different than when I was a child. My aunt used to say that the reason why it seemed that there were no gay people in my community was that they hid it because they knew it would not be accepted, and that they would likely be ostracized and be kicked out of their families. My cousin is the same wonderful person he has always been, no matter who he chooses to spend his life with. I would never think of him any differently now than he was a child growing up, I love him without judgment or conditions, even though I was not necessarily brought up that way.
What influenced you to change your thinking?. My cousin coming out as gay and meeting many wonderful people that I have become friends with has changed my way of thinking. I know that many people have committed suicide for loving who they love and I would never want to be the reason that they felt unsupported and loved. My husband works at a children’s hospital and even though he doesn’t give me details, he tells me how many children try to take their lives because their parents won’t accept them as gay or transgender, which is heartbreaking and unfortunate.
How can you use this information in clinical practice?. In my clinical practice, I have taken a transgender course that explained how being called by the appropriate name/gender can make a transgender person feel respected and good. I know that treating people as individuals and not fixating on their sexual orientation or who they love can make a real difference in a person’s experience while in a hospital setting. I have interviewed patients with their loved ones present and under spouse is a same-sex partner and I address their partner as a husband or wife or partner, based on what is comfortable for them. Hopefully, my approach makes my patients feel comfortable, accepted, and unjudged.
