Author: FVMARTINEZ

An experience where I felt I had to adjust to an aspect of my host culture (France), was the transparency that French people hold. In the US, sugar-coating is a much more common practice. In Aix-en-Provence, France, I lived in a homestay with a French family and an American suitemate my age who was also…

Instances in which I experienced cultural confrontation, were when I was told by several people in France that a friendly, polite smile to someone on the street could be viewed as flirtation and that consent was not as important of a concept in France as it is the U.S. It is not that the people…

Individualism is often brought up in discussions of American culture. This means that Americans view themselves as their own person, independent, separate from any group. A collectivist culture on the other hand, relies on the sense of community and close intragroup connection and views all individuals as part of the group. In sharing my judgment…