Last December, I was in Richmond, America, spending a white Christmas with
my American friends and family members. Christmas in America is surprisingly a very big occasion, as compared to Singapore, which is relatively quiet. Christmas over there is just like Singapore’s Chinese New Year where everyone will get together and celebrate this special day. With choir groups caroling and performances like tap-dance with Christmas songs, it’s hard not to sink into the warm atmosphere despite being so cold during winter.
In order to have a taste of Christmas over there, I stayed home with my friends and their family members. I was amazed by the number of people who turned up for the celebration. Including all the extended family members, there were a total of 30 over people under one roof, where each will bring some food over and share it with everyone. Something like pot-luck! With everyone exchanging warm greetings and engaging in conversations, I could sense the difference in the Christmas mood, something that I will not, or perhaps, never, be able to find back home.
Decorations are one of the highlights during the Christmas season. As you drive down the neighbourhood at night, you will see that every house has its own beautifully decorated yard, with decorations like a chubby snowman or a red nose reindeer! I was really thrilled when I saw those beautiful lightings. So, my friends decided to bring me on a Tacky Christmas Tour, where we go round scouting for houses with exaggerating Christmas decorations. From the picture, it is not difficult to tell that this household spends about USD$1000 per month on electricity bills! Isn’t that unbelievable?! Back in Singapore, if any household should decorate their houses like the American families, that house will sure stick out like a sore thumb and I am quite certain that their neighbours will be furious when that house is attracting so much attention from the rest.Upon returning home from the trip, I had an insight of the cultural norms and values of the Americans during the Christmas season. Decorating their houses and gathering with their family members is a cultural norm to them. Judging from their practices, one can easily tell that the Americans value Christmas Day a lot. Just by spending Christmas with an American family, I have learnt so much about their values and cultural norms without having my friends to explicitly enlighten me on it, which is exactly the fundamentals of effective communication!
Therefore, we can see how miraculously cultural norms, values and effective communication are interrelated. A picture speaks a thousand words, and by understanding the cultural norms and values of a particular society, I believe it is not difficult to achieve effective communication across the borders and globally.
Hey Michelle!
ReplyDeleteWow! USD$1000 on lightings? OH MY GOSH! Haha! I can't believe it! But it really goes to show how much they rise up to the occassion! =)
Post more photos! Haha! Eh, you keep saying that you learnt many of their values and cultural norms, so what are they other than the decorations, family/friends potluck celebrations? Can you share with me more? Maybe not here if there's really a lot to say. Haha!
I envy you, Michelle! It really seems like you have a smashing great time spending a white Christmas. =)
Thank you, Michelle, for describing your US Christmas experience. (That makes me a little homesick!) It seems very accurate when I compare it to my own experiences "back home." It is certainly the norm in much of America to light up the house with Christmas lights. While that would be obnoxious here in Singapore, it is very acceptable in the USA. (I wonder if things will change in the economic downturn.)
ReplyDeleteYou've described this "feel good" situation well, and apparently you adapted easily. But isn't it those cultural situations that make us uncomfortable that are harder to accept? If you had been spending Christmas with a group of people whose norms you were less impressed by, how might that have impacted your sense of "effective communication"?
Do you see what I'm getting at?
Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI see that you must have enjoyed yourself though you knew that such a practice is not common place in Singapore. But for my friends and such, though we don't go to the extent of decorating the exterior or our homes, we usually have christmas trees and tonnes of Christmas gatherings. But I guess it's also because we really go all out to celebrate Xmas in our own special way as I am a Christian. (:
Perhaps if I ever have a Christmas gathering this year, you should really have a chance to visit. For me, Christmas always meant house carolling, eating lots of good food, presents and most of the time this is practiced among my other Christian friends as well.
But I'm really glad you had a chance to see for yourself that it's really a hyped up event there. I guess it's been the culture since forever to actively participate in Christmas, because after all, they were once suppose to be a "Christian" nation. So If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn't feel difficulty absorbing their culture either, because that is how I idealised my Christmas to be, having grown up reading Archie Comics!
Dear Grace,
ReplyDeleteYup! It's US$1000 worth of electricity bill just to decorate the house for Christmas! When I was making my way there, there was a huge traffic jam. Everyone was there to see how 'spectacular' the lightings were. Wahaha.. Hmmmm.. In Asia, it's a norm that we as children of our parents, we have to take care of our parents when they grow old. So the most obvious thing to me is that if I should bring my parents out for dinner 10years down the road, I'll have to pay the bill. However, in America, it is the other way round. As long as the American family goes out for dinner, it is always the parents paying the bill, regardless of the parents are working or not.. This is something that really shocked me.
Haha, if you have a chance, it's really nice to spend your Christmas there.. They'll have big Christmas sale too! Wahahaha..
Dear Brad,
ReplyDeleteI hope I interpret your question correctly. I was trying to say that from the way the Americans celebrate Christmas, I can then deduce the cultural norms and values even when it is not told to me explicitly by natives there. Even if I should visit another country whose norms I am less impressed by, I will still be able to deduce that country's cultural norms. And from there, I can tell that this country does not place so much emphasize on celebrating Christmas. Isn't this also considered a form of effective communication? But the only difference may be that it will not be such a wonderful experience as compared to the one in the States.
Did I get your question correctly? Wahahaha
Dear Jane,
ReplyDeleteI didn't really feel much of a difficulty absorbing their culture. Did I say something in my blogpost that made you feel that? In fact, I really enjoyed myself. I went there with an open heart to see the world and understand each country's differences.
It was quite an eye opener to me as I do not really celebrate Christmas like you. As I am not a Christian, my family members and I will usually just gather at one of the houses and watch TV and have dinner. I do not even own a Christmas tree. Therefore, there is quite a big difference in terms of the scale of the Christmas celebration.
Within Singapore, there are different ways in which every household will celebrate Christmas, so am I correct to say that such difference can be called a subculture? Haha
Hello Michelle!
ReplyDeleteLet me rephrase what I had meant to say. I think it was not that you had difficulty absorbing, but it was instead something totally new for you, or like you have mentioned, an eye opener. (: Sorry if I didn't make myself clearer.
Yea, I would probably think it be a subculture, because it's not really "practiced" much here....
Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThanks for replying me. =) How nice if Singaporeans have the culture of parents paying for everything. Haha! Anyway, thanks for sharing your White Christmas experience! =)
Hi Michelle :D
ReplyDeleteVery nice post about how the way Americans celebrate Christmas can give us some insight into their culture as well. Haha I seriously wish i will be able to see the amazing decorations by myself one day too!(Honestly i feel that one doesn't have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas as long as one has got the 'thanks-giving' spirit.)
It was a refreshing change to read your blog after reading through all the inter-cultural conflicts. Haha and about Brad's question, i think what matters most is to try to adapt in a "When in Rome, do what the Romans do" manner and still try to enjoy yourself in different cultural settings. This isn't as easy as it sounds(i know) haha but the key is to keep an open mind and try to appreciate it from a different point of view.
Hey and girl Thanks lots for sharing unbrella with me today! Lol if only it was snowing instead of raining in Singapore.
Hi Jing Yang
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome about the umbrella thingy. Hope you did not get too wet as my umbrella is kind of small and the rain was so heavy! I wish it will snow too! But it's just a dream.. Keke
I totally agree with you, Jing Yang. I always feel that whenever you are in people's country, you have to adapt to the country's culture. However, not everyone can understand the need for it.
Hope you like my blogpost and the pictures!