Multicultural Paper

Multicultural Paper
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Introduction
Living in a country that isn’t your origin can be fascinating and an unforgettable experience for many people. However, it is also significant in the development and life of an individual (Alsubaie, 2015). The transformations that one undergoes in conforming to the new ways of life and interacting with the “new” community may take some time. The nature of the cultural practices and how different they seem to be from your original culture determines how fast you can adapt to the new ways of living. As a result of the migration to a new country, one may miss the other family they leave behind, friends and all the privileges that they might be missing in their new country. It always seems hard in the beginning to accept the new culture but eventually one gets used to it and even appreciates it more. Cultural differences, therefore, may affect the development and the roles the genders play in the society depending on the cultural practices and perceptions.
Family
Having been an American, living in Israel has changed most of my understanding on the cultural practices of the Jews. This country is composed of a diverse combination of ethnic groups with different cultures and religious beliefs. As a child, I used to live with both parents and my two brothers since I was the only daughter in the family. The parents used to leave for work every morning leaving the domestic chores to us whenever we are not in school.

The distribution of the duties, therefore, depended on the nature of work that was to be done. For instance, whenever the work required lots of energy to be done, the males were undertaking it while all the house related chores were mostly done by me since I was the second born of the family. Compared to many other countries where there is a tendency of having help from employed persons, things were different here. These were later to affect my life and make me a more responsible and independent adult who could undertake her tasks with diligence. Different cultures will teach you many survival ways through its practices (Alsubaie, 2015). Although we were living with the parents in our early ages as a family, there was a chance for us to develop a virtue of independence on carrying out domestic related work.
The Community
Growing up in Israel as a woman is challenging though not hard. The demands of the society for females to embraces sudden changes in their lives can be a huge deal for those who have not been fully endowed in their cultural practices. According to (Lanesskog, Piedra, & Maldonado, 2015), bilingual and bicultural are among the necessities that prove challenging for one to adapt to a new country/community. Having entered the Israel community, I had to receive Jewish education as well as learning some aspects of their religious education. This was vital for interaction purposes in my teenage ages. As a child, the parents at home had expectations of me upholding some American cultures as well as embracing the Jewish culture. The community is also needed people who support its activities and appreciates their practices. Unlike most of the countries in the world, in Israel, there is always someone willing to offer help in any situation. The community thus expectations were for me as a foreign citizen to conform to their practices and interact with other in the society without limitations.
Religion is a vital component of any community (Weaver, 2016). To me, the importance of Christianity meant a lot in shaping up my personal life. However, entering Israel changed everything. They do not consider Jesus to be as divine as the Christians. This made it impossible for me to be making Sundays the relaxing days as it is in the American culture. To them, Sundays are just like any other days of the week and schooling and work went on as usual. This was so vital in shaping my adulthood with only one day to relax, Saturdays for which in the Jewish culture means there will be no any activities going on even the public transport was never functioning. The interactions in this community during the adolescent stage were hectic. Due to the biological changes that one undergoes, dating was impaired due to the nature of the society not authorizing courtship between Jewish and non-Jewish persons. The cultural difference made it impossible for a robust relationship to develop with the members of the Jewish community.
Adulthood
Becoming an adult in Israel becomes so complicated that the earlier ages. Adulthood sets in with a lot of demands and expectations both from the family and the community. Dating in Israel became difficult since dating a Jewish only meant no guarantee for marriage. Unless the marriage happens outside Israel, it is not authorized in their culture. I did not get married in this country due to these challenges though I had a Jewish partner for whom if the culture allowed we would have married. After completion of my studies, I had to look for a source of income in the country to improve my living standards. Life is expensive in this country and affording a better shelter for one needs a considerably huge amount of money. However, my main concerns as an adult were becoming an independent and self-sustainable person regardless of my gender. I did not have children, and so my budget was small.
Comparison of life in Israel and the US
Growing up in the US and Israel is entirely different. The Israelis perceive the Americans life as being better than theirs and that the people in the US only sit and enjoy themselves in the green land. However, whatever they do not want to ask themselves is why some of the Americans still living in their country. Having spent most of my adulthood life in Israel, I can attest that the difference is not that enormous between the two countries for a female. The domestic duties are almost the same, and the societal expectations of the women are high in both Israel and the United States. According to Lobb (2012), multicultural education that an individual undergoes in a foreign country is crucial in determining how well one fits into that society. For this reason, the segregation I experienced while learning in Israel was essential in fully integrating me into the Jewish culture. Although the life in this country was expensive and there were a lot of expectations from both the parents and the Jewish community, with time I was able to interact, associate and conform to the Jewish styles of living.
There are clear similarities between the United States and Israel concerning the conditions of life of a woman. First, the roles deemed obvious in for a female to play with taking care of the family and carrying out house related chores is common among the two countries. While I was still young, I used to observe how my mother ensured everyone in the family was feed and has a cloth to wear. Second, just like in this country, the United States is a multicultural state with many people from different ethnic groups. The diversity of the cultures breeds a neutral society that accommodates all sorts of people who move in and are ready to conform to their practices. For a woman, such a combination of cultural values gives them a chance to choose which best fits their well-being in the society (Maddux & Galinsky, 2009). Third, living in Israel is much more that living in the United States. The distribution of income is dependent on the education levels of the family. For independent persons more so women, their source of income depends on how educated they are and the kinds of work they have. Just like in America, heavy machinery works is dominated by males while females dominate white collar jobs.
Despite the similarities, I also could feel and observe some significant deviations in the two cultures while growing up. Societal perception of helping is quite different in the two countries. While living in Israel, in anything that needed help there was always someone willing to offer the help regardless of your gender. These are contrary to the United States where one could only survive on the limited resources he/she owns. The allocation of positions and duties to women in both countries is different. For instance having been able to work for community service during my stay there, the women were given less risky tasks and much lighter unlike in the United States where women can sometimes be seen using heavy machinery in their works.
Conclusion
It is surprising how just perception and believing can neutralize a difference in cultural values of two countries. Personally, I experienced the transformation of the American culture to Jewish culture as being an exciting though disturbing journey. More so, the nature weekends are handled in both countries is quite interesting. For instance, in Israel, we used to walk to picnic places since the public transport was not functional on Saturdays. The information on Jewish culture is interesting to know owing to their beliefs and adherence to their laws and regulations in all aspects of life.
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Alsubaie, M. A. (2015). Examples of Current Issues in the Multicultural Classroom. Journal of Education and Practice. Retrieved November 22, 2016, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081654.pdf
Lanesskog, D., Piedra, L. M., & Maldonado, S. (2015). Beyond Bilingual and Bicultural: Serving Latinos in a New-Growth Community. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 24(4), 300-317.
Lobb, P. (2012). Making multicultural education personal. Multicultural Perspectives, 14(4).
Maddux, W. W., & Galinsky, A. D. (2009). Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship Between Living Abroad and Creativity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(5), 1047-1061.
Weaver, H. N. (2016). Developing a Culturally Appropriate Assessment Tool: Reflections on Process Considerations. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 25(4), 270-281.