Kerri CP #6

Today at the IC workshop we worked with CIES students to make a script demonstrating cultural differences in various scenarios. I was pleased to work with Abdulrahman, an Arabic speaker from Kuwait. We chose to write our skit about refusing food in his culture. Abdulrahman told me that in Kuwait it is impolite to refuse refreshments your friends have prepared for you, regardless of your hunger level or not. I explained that in American culture it is normal to refuse things like this, and it is not considered rude. In our skit Abdulrahman offers me food, I refuse, and he gets offended. I ask him why he is upset, and he explains how this type of refusal is perceived in his culture. I then explain my culture, and we end with a compromise in which I eat a small portion of the refreshments and take the rest of the food with me. It was a fun and interactive learning experience, and I was happy to become acquainted with another CIES student!