AbdulRahmane Abdul-Aziz

First Year Seminar

Ginny Walters
12/9/15
A World of Diversity
Culture is a curious thing, it takes bits and pieces of things and cultivates a way of life. I
do not think I understood the real meaning of culture and how it pertains to each individual
person, until this unit. When I ask myself, who am I? The fastest response is my name, but my
first response is my religion. Then my ethnicity and languages I speak. The process continues
and diffuses itself internally then externally. This process I later found out is known as the
Edward T. Halls Cultural Iceberg Model. This model states that In 1976, Hall developed the
iceberg analogy of culture. If the culture of a society was the iceberg, Hall reasoned, than there
are some aspects visible, above the water, but there is a larger portion hidden beneath the
surface (Edward). Throughout the unit I learned that there are many subsets of culture, with
both external and internal factors. I intend to build my global citizenship competency by getting
involved on campus by joining clubs and studying abroad. I learned that a persons religion,
clothing, food, and language all accumulates to a persons character and essence.
Religious affiliation is a very common identifier. Among myself and others religion is a
priority, and like other internal factors it is implicitly learned, difficult to change and done
unconsciously (Edward). Before I could attend college my father made it a goal for me to finish
memorizing the whole Quran, so I can remember my roots and never forget god. So when I
finish memorizing, my dad told me I had all the answers I would need to go through life. Since I
have been here I find time to do my daily prayers and read the Quran so I do not forget it.

Religion I found is a very unpredictable reflex. Now if I am ever thinking of doing something my
parents or more specifically the religion disapproves of, my mind starts going over verses about
obeying your parents and not deviating from my path. Personally it has saved me in many
experiences. I can confidently say that if I lost my religion, I would have lost my way.
Another Internal subset of culture is language. Like religion it cannot be seen on the
surface, but is subjective knowledge (Edward). According to the wall street journal
Charlemagne proclaimed that to have a second language is to have a second soul
(Boroditsky). I can relate heavily, I know three languages fluently and can speak two others.
Growing up I remember my parents speaking Yoruba which a mesh up of French and other
native languages. Now different languages have different ways of explaining and saying things.
In French you can be formal or informal based on who you are talking to, in Yoruba you are
completely formal all the time. It took some time before I learned to differentiate between the
grammars of actual French and Yoruba. The benefit of knowing multiple languages is that it truly
gives you different perspective. When speaking Yoruba which uses minimal French, I feel more
of a connection between me and the other person. When I switch to French especially with my
parents I somehow feel detached and a bit on auto pilot and unable to express myself freely.
According to the Independent People self-report that they feel like a different person when
using their different languages and that expressing certain emotions carries different emotional
resonance depending on the language they are using (Athanasopoulos). Cultural isnt all about
what we cannot see, it also has factors we can see.
External subsets of culture like food and clothing play a major role in who they are. Food
and clothing are conscious choices and are easily changed (Edward). In Islam, traditional
clothing is a long shirt that goes from the neck to the ankles. Now if I wanted to I could wear this

every day and everyone would know that I am a Muslim, but I choose not to. Food on the other
hand is the complete opposite with me, I love trying new foods. I also like inviting my friends to
my house to have a traditional togolaise meal. I think eating different foods is a way of going to
different places without really leaving. Food can fill your stomach and your mind.
To develop my global citizenship competency, I have volunteered to tutor international
students through the IELI (Intensive English Language Institution). This experience was
extremely valuable to me. Through teaching internationals students about American culture and
why Americans do things they find bizarre, I found new cultural perspective on things. Also
while teaching English I learned that there were somethings in the English language I just knew
and could not explain. This experience was a learning process for me and my international
students. I also intend on joining the French club to further immerse myself in the culture instead
of just speaking it. Also to join or create an MSA (Muslim Student Association) club here at
MSU. Furthermore I above all else want to study abroad in Europe so I can utilize my French
and learn things from the French perspective.

Work Cited
Edward T. Halls Cultural Iceberg Model (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 9 Dec. 15.
Boroditsky, Lera. "Lost in Translation." WSJ. The Wall Street Journal, 23 July 2010. Web. 10
Dec. 2015.
Athanasopoulos, Panos. "How the Language You Speak Changes Your View of the World." The
Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.