Samantha Powers

1. Give three compelling examples of how cultural issues affect your project.

In Filipino culture, there is a high respect for elders. People go to their elders for guidance in decision making and they highly value their opinions. In farming, agricultural practices are often passed down from generation to generation, making farmers less inclined to adopt new techniques and methods of production. In relation to my project, we may be disadvantaged due to our age in that farmers may be less willing to accept new ideas from my group as well as the university students we are partnering with in the Philippines as it may be seen as disrespectful to elders due to change in their long-standing practices. Another important part of Filipino culture that may affect my project is the tendency to be late, dating back to the Spanish colonial period when it was portrayed in literature as a status symbol in which the latest was considered most important. Now, tardiness continues as a result of the terrible traffic in the capital, Manila, making it difficult to meet a person at a specific time. When one person continues to be late, the other doesn’t find it necessary to be punctual either, creating a perpetual cycle. This may affect my project in the Philippines because it may make it difficult to meet at the same time as someone and as a result, we could lose productivity. Communication in the Filipino culture is also an issue that may affect my project. In the Philippines, people use non-verbal communication and are less dependent on words. They understand when things are implied without needing a statement or command. While in Manila, this will affect the way we communicate with and understand the people we speak with in our project. 

2. Have you experienced or observed any of these social situations at home?  Describe at least three such situations.

Though respect for elders varies between households in my culture, I have noticed that it does not seem prioritized to the extent that it is in the Philippines. Children often talk back to their elders or do not follow their directions and it is not taken as seriously as it would in places like the Philippines where it is of higher importance. Specifically, throughout my schooling I have seen students speak to teachers in disrespectful ways without any reaction or consequence by the teacher. Unlike in the Philippines, I find the tendency to be late less common in my community, as people really value their time. This is particularly true for academic meetings, though social or casual gatherings seem to be more elastic. Personally, I have experienced the situation in the Philippines in which the tardiness of one person influences the punctuality of another to be true in my culture when I know that the particular person I am meeting is typically late. I will also be late so I do not waste my time waiting for them, as some do in the Philippines. With regard to communication, I find the situation in Filipino culture to be similar to mine in that people speak with implication or question rather than command. For example, at work, my manager would always ask me if I would like to sweep rather than telling me to, though I knew there was no real choice in the question. 

3. Give three examples of cultural practices that can be leveraged to addressed community / market problems.

In the Philippines, farmer to farmer communication is an important relationship in the dissemination of reliable information, especially in areas where there is a lack of access to government extension agents. This may help us in the dissemination of our ideas in the Philippines and may save us time as agricultural information can spread efficiently in a network that is based on communication between farmers. Having this network may also build trust and minimize skepticism in a potential product through discussion between farmers if one farmer knows others who have used it successfully and can attest to its validity. Though also seen as a challenge, another practice that can be leveraged is the value placed on respect for elders. If elders accept our ideas, farmers will also be more inclined to accept the new methods as the acceptance from elders may be seen as approval for change. The Filipino way of communication can also be leveraged, as it is very similar to the way of communication in America. This will allow us to communicate with farmers and university students effectively to understand what is meant verses what is said.