“I thought all Americans were black…” Exchanging Cultures

Interview with a local family in Ngwe Saung village

As is with any exchange in culture, there are sometimes moments when you are perplexed, stunned or even dumbfounded.  As we interviewed one woman earlier today, she asked Hosana where I was from.  When he answered, she told him something and he started laughing – hard.  What did she say?!  I wanted to know…

Hosana explained that she was confused because she thought all Americans were black, and said I couldn’t be an American because I wasn’t black.

We all laughed and awkwardly smiled after settling down and starting the interview.  But I couldn’t help think how funny each of our stereotypes and preconceived notions are and just how far off we can be sometimes.  There is no better way to start a research project, than to be reminded that just because one person says one thing or acts one way or looks one way – it does not represent the group.  And that was the best motivation to ensure we spoke with as many people as possible – to show the true colors in the research.

Our trusted 'Toto:' We sure aren't in Kansas anymore!

I learned a great deal about culture, lifestyle and the morals and values of the local people on this trip.  And there were many comparisons – most revolving relationships between boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife.  Hosana explained that in Myanmar (although this is slowly changing between generations), most people date one person in their life – that they later marry and together raise a family.  Most people have one sex partner, and sex before marriage is not accepted.  Women are responsible for raising children and attending to the house, while men are the breadwinners and work.  Marriage then, is seen more as a business partnership, where two people can balance the responsibilities of life and coexist peacefully.  It sure was a different understanding of relationship than the one I had been exposed to in the United States!

Breakfast :)

 But as with any culture clash – there is an exchange, and Hosana and I shared a few of our own.  One in particular that I found so funny was as I was getting ready for bed, Hosana asked what I was doing.  I was confused by his question – seeing as this was my nightly habit of getting ready for bed since I was about 10.  He said, what were you doing with that string?  I was still confused and looked in my bag – string, string…Oh – you mean floss?!  “Yeah – what is that?”  I could explain floss was the string you used to get out food stuck between your teeth, but I couldn’t really explain why it was so important – I just kept reiterating that it was important and the dentist says you can get cavities if you don’t floss.  Sitting down and teaching Hosana how to floss was hysterical for me – mainly because I had flossed since I was a little girl and had always always been told that you had to floss.  And here I was trying to explain how to floss to someone, and I couldn’t really explain WHY flossing was so important – even though I had been doing it for fifteen years!