How would you qualify or describe different aspects of your target culture? Reflect and your own experiences and expectations of the culture in question.
I would describe Quechua culture to be an interplay of community, food, dance, music, agriculture, and altitude. I would like to make clear that this is the Quechua culture I have been exposed to in central Bolivia, but cannot speak to the culture of Quechua people in southern Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Ecuador. The aspected I listed I have lived through or seen on my childhood trips to Bolivia. I have seen a Quechua community that relied on their alpaca raising and agricultural monetary gains to sustain themselves. I have woken up on Sunday mornings to api, a drink made from purple corn, and Andean folklore playing through my mom’s speakers. I have participated in Northern Virginian dance fraternities that showcase Quechua dances like tinkus. Lastly, I hope to further immerse myself in the Quechua language and culture by learning about the effects of the Spanish conquest on the evolution of this indigenous language.
How does your culture reflect various qualitative Hofstede dimensions of culture explored in class, e.g., body language, how people talk about time, etc.
Individual-Collectivist: Quechua people are a collectivist society because they believe in the principle of ayni or sharing. There is a common saying in Quechua that states that in order to receive, one must always give first. It is important to note that Quechua people do not expect anything in return, but rather it is understood that when they are also bereft or low-resourced, then ayni will occur with them.
Nonverbal Communication: Personally, I am not sure how much nonverbal communication there is in Quechua.
Monochronic-Polychronic: I would say that Quechua culture is polychromic because many Quechuans are integrated into Bolivian society, which has no concept of time. From personal experience, when a Bolivian says, “Party starts at 8pm,” one should arrive after 10pm because otherwise it would not only be disrespectful, but also the host would not be there or would not be ready. However, if I consider this characteristic in the countryside, oftentimes Quechua people judge time based on the sun. I would characterize this as polychromic since they do not use watches, but rather say, “After lunch,” or, “After the afternoon herding.”
Internal-External: I would characterize Quechua culture as internal because even some Bolivians do not know a lot about Quechua culture. If Bolivians are unaware of Quechua culture, then it makes sense for the rest of the world to be as well. Quechua culture is also internal because it is based on the small, Andean communities that still exist in the countryside. Hence, there is a degree of isolation.
Direct-Indirect Communication: I think Quechua culture is direct because when I ask my language partner, “How do you say sun?,” there will either be a word or no word. Usually, in Quechua, there is only one meaning for the word, but this changes depending on context. Thus, if one knows the culture, then the communication would be direct because of this undernstanding.
Also, have you ever experienced culture shock? If so, describe.
I have definitely experienced culture shock in Bolivia. This shock has not been a result of the Quechuan cultural aspects I listed above, but rather, a shock from the social injustices I witnessed. Until the rise of Evo Morales, Bolivia’s current President, I had never met a Quechua person who was not poor. I experienced culture shock again, after Morales won the presidency because it is now normal to see Quechua people dressed in polleras or ropa de campo and driving a Range Rover or Ford truck. It makes me happy to see that the President, although I am an opponent of his, has created upward mobility for the Quechua people of Bolivia.
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