Local practice essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Local practice - Essay Example After interviewing the members of the Chinese family, I realized there are numerous misconceptions about the Chinese culture, practices, and family organization. The family has been in the United States for two generations, but none of the members has intermarried with other cultures. The family I interviewed comprises both parents and their five children. This paper is a comparison of the information in books with the local practices of the Chinese people. There is a misconception that Chinese can barely speak English. Although Chinese have limited English proficiency, some of them can communicate considerably well. However, I noticed they have a tendency of using Mandarin even in the presence of persons who do not understand it. Additionally, though some can speak some English, they have poor understanding capability. As we spoke, I realized that they would frequently misunderstand me. However, when discussing issues regarding their culture, they would understand better than when discussing other issues (Ngo-Metzger, et al., 2003; Rastogi, 2002). There is a misconception that the Chinese people do not take a stand in an issue or they are shy. On the contrary, I realized this is not true. In the short period I spent with them, they disclosed a lot of information regarding their past. They would freely talk about their social life. Like explained in the books, the Chinese culture stresses the dedication to family and traditions. I realized that they have some disregard to individualism. They have a tendency of shielding a sick family member from accessing bad medical news. They told me of an example that one of their family member died of cancer without ever knowing what she was suffering from. They argued that disclosing such news to her would only have made matters worse since she was still too young. While dealing with Chinese, it is thus important to ask them of the persons who can