Intercultural? Not with My Culture

I don't believe that by experiencing the obvious aspects of a culture we are adopting it. It simply means that these things whether its food, dance, art sparks a response in us that provides pleasure. Interacting with the people and observing their way of life may influence our future behaviour. As explored during the pre-departure session culture is more than the food and art and dance. It is about how people live their lives, how they view the world, how they view and treat other people. Being in a place for a short period and the activities that you may pursue does not, i think, provide you with the opportunities to experience all the nuances of a culture, not enough to say that you understand it enough to adopt it. For us to adopt a culture I believe that its influence has to be long term and we need to achieve a deeper understanding of their world view. Once we start living by that world view i would say that we understand that culture well enough to call it your own.