1.

When the behavior in culture A is identified by an observer from culture B as being the
same as in his/her own culture, but actually has a very different meaning
In the United States, holding ones first two fingers in a v-shape is referred to as the peace
sign and, as the name suggests, means peace. In the school setting, it is often raised high in
the air and couple with a pointer finger to the mouth to indicate peace and quiet and
encourages students to quiet down. In South Korea, however, this symbol has a different
meaning. As it looks like a v, it has taken on the meaning of victory, which is considerably
different from the meaning of peace. It is most commonly used when taking pictures.
2. When different behaviors in culture A and B actually have the same meaning
When I first arrived in Korea, I was confused as to why so many of the students would hold their
first finger and thumb together as if they were going to snap but just leave it like that without
actually snapping. After asking some of the students, however, I learned that what they were
actually doing was making a small heart with those two fingers and used it to say, I love you,
to their classmates across the room. In the United States, most people I have seen make hearts
with their hands do it curving both hands into half heart shapes and putting them together so that
their hands make the outline of a heart. Perhaps even more common than that is simply blowing
kisses. I find it interesting that we have such different ways to silently display our love for others
across the room.
3. When the behaviors in cultures A and B have the same meaning, but are distributed
differently in time and space
I find the Korean education system to be very interesting, especially in the respects in which it
differs from the American system. In the United States, students continually study harder
throughout their education. This means that university is where the most diligent studying takes
place, while students have a bit more free time during their high school years. In South Korea,
however, this seems to be inversed. While students do study some in university, it is nothing
compared to how much they study during high school. This means that for many Korean
students, college is the time when they can rest after studying diligently throughout high school.
4. When members of one culture assume the way they do things is the correct way
(ethnocentrism)
One thing that I have noticed during my time in South Korea is the tendency for South Koreans
to be less direct than Americans when telling others what they need to do. On the other hand, the
directness of Americans appears to be perceived as rude in South Korea. The specific incident
that exemplified both sides of this difference was when the student teachers, native teachers, and
the principal of Kyunghwa Girls English Business High School had a meeting about a request
for two of the student teachers to participate in the morning English broadcast at the middle
school. The principal phrased the announcement in such a way that, to the American ear, it
sounded like the principal had requested that we participate in the broadcast but that we were not
required to participate in it. Because the broadcast coincided with the student teachers first class
during their first week of teaching, the native teachers refused the offer. The principal seemed

very surprised by this direct rejection and explained that it wasnt really a request and that we
must participate. There was a great amount of tension in the room as the native teachers
explained why we simply had to refuse and the principal insisted that this was not something we
could refuse. At first I ethnocentrically thought that the interaction would have been simpler if
everyone had spoken frankly as Americans do from the start, but after thinking about it more I
realized the positive aspects of the more Korean style of communication as well. I think with
Korean style communication commands can be given in a much softer way.
5. When members of culture A assume that culture B is uniform (stereotyping)
I have realized some stereotypes that I held before coming to Korea through my interactions with
people at Kyunghwa. Before coming to Kyunghwa I was under the impression that all Korean
students are under so much pressure to do well on the Korean SAT and go to a good university
that they always studied diligently. While students at Kyunghwa Girls EB High School are
generally not planning on taking the Korean SAT and are, therefore, in a different situation, upon
talking to the girls at the regular high school I realized that, just like in the United States, there is
a range of diligence when it comes to students in Korea. Some of the students I talked to always
do their homework and study diligently at academy after school. Some of the students I talked
to, however, did not pay attention in class, did not complete all of their homework, and did not
focus on their studied during self study times. These conversations really reminded me that
people are the same everywhere, and, while the proportion of students who study well and
students who slack off may vary some from place to place, both are always present.