This essay was used as a submission for my INTB class final exam

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Introduction and Experience

This semester, I was able to enroll in INTB2014, a course focused on increasing students’ cultural competence and understanding of the intricacies of conducting business across cultures. The book, The Culture Map provided insight into many different cultures, breaking them down into eight main cultural sections: communicating, evaluating, persuasion, leadership, decision-making, trusting, disagreeing, and scheduling. This text opened my eyes to the nuances of conducting business globally and when my class and I had the opportunity to apply our learning through a cultural immersion in Puerto Rico I was beyond excited.

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The first full day on the trip, we had salsa dancing lessons which my friends and I embraced later that evening when we went to a salsa dancing bar with live music. As someone who loves to dance, seeing the street filled with couples and young people dancing was such an amazing sight. The love of music and dancing stuck out to me the whole trip, it wasn’t uncommon to see people dancing anytime they had the chance. In America, people can be very shy when it comes to dance, but in Puerto Rico, young or old, everyone had rhythm and embraced the music around them.

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The flexibility of time was also something that stood out to me in Puerto Rico. When we went to lunch, it lasted 2.5 hours and there was no rush to get us out sooner. Additionally, many servers only brought the check when it was specifically asked for. I also noticed during our tour of Old San Juan, our tour guide was not very concerned with promptness, and we were at some sites longer than expected. Life seemed to move at a slower place on the island than I am familiar with in the United States, and I now have a better understanding of “island time”.

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The last cultural clue I noticed during the trip was the sense of community and friendliness present in the Puerto Rican people. The strong sense of community was especially prevalent when Ricky Newman talked about how Verdanza and the surrounding community rallied to help other islands impacted, to a worse degree, by hurricane Irma. A simple Facebook live rallied hundreds of people who were willing to give whatever they had to the effort. It was really inspiring to hear this story, and during my stay, I was able to directly experience this kindness. The first night in Puerto Rico, the kind wait staff at a restaurant gave our large group a private room with pool tables and music when we arrived. Others we encountered willingly gave us their contact information to tell us all their favorite spots in the area and my friends and I even got posted on the Instagram of a local smoothie shop! A culture of friendliness is definitely present on the island.  

 

Reflection

The first cultural clue I experienced, the love of dance and music, relates directly to the history of the Puerto Rican people. Bomba, salsa, and reggaeton are directly tied to the historical influences of the ancestors of the Puerto Rican people causing the dancing styles and sounds to differ greatly from what is typically found in America. Music on the island directly ties the people of Puerto Rico to their culture and proud heritage which is why the dance scene is so energetic and vibrant. The value of dance to Puerto Rican people is that it brings communities and people together. Its purpose is rooted in tradition and connection.  

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The second cultural clue, flexibility of time, is something very different from my own experience in America. A couple times I became frustrated when facing a different scheduling scale. I think the reason this exists from the local perspective, has a lot to do with the importance placed on familial relationship in Puerto Rico. When discussing the Scheduling Scale, Meyer says “it is only logical that if relationships are a priority, you will put them before the clock” (Meyer, 227). Relationships with family are integral to the Puerto Rican social structure. “Familismo” is a Puerto Rican word meaning close family connections, stressing the well-being of the family, as opposed to cultures which place greater emphasis on friends and same-age peers” (KnowPuertoRico). The value of flexible time is it allows the Puerto Rican people to uphold their relationship-based culture.

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My last cultural clue talks about the sense of community and friendliness I experienced in Puerto Rico. I mentioned how the core of the Puerto Rican social structure is family. This fact contributes to the importance of community in Puerto Rican culture. Unlike in American where the immediate family typically includes two parents and children, in Puerto Rico there is a broader idea of the family in which aunts and uncles, grandparents, and even close friends play important roles in daily life. For Puerto Ricans, the family being the core of social life serves the purpose of maintaining tradition, why also providing a larger support system to help take care of elderly or small children as a unit. Additionally, different concepts of who is considered “family” plays into how Puerto Ricans interact with their community and peers and why relationships are integral to the culture of the island.

 

Theory

After my experience in Puerto Rico, and drawing on the information learned in the classroom, I think I can better explain the importance of culture and heritage to the Puerto Rican people. During the trip, we learned Puerto Rican culture is a blend of three cultures: African, Spanish, and Taino. Combining my classroom knowledge from the presentations, with the knowledge I gained from the tour of the Taino site, I can see how African dance and Taino instruments were fused to create a significantly Puerto Rican movement and sound. Specifically, the music and dancing styles I mentioned in my reflection, bomba, salsa, and reggaeton can be traced back to African origins and were brought to the island by enslaved Africans who used dance and music as a form of expression and a temporary release. The Puerto Rican people continue to use dance as an expression of their circumstances and carry on the tradition set by their ancestors.

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My second cultural clue, flexible time is something directly addressed in the Culture Map in the Time Perception chapter. I already mentioned how being a relationship-based culture plays into scheduling, but Meyer also points out that the flexibility of time is correlated with how fixed and reliable vs how unpredictable daily life is in a particular country. Considering Puerto Rico’s susceptibility to hurricanes and earthquakes paired with the instability found in the country’s leadership, it is not surprising a more flexible approach to time is common.  Historically, Puerto Rico also faced instability in their status as a country, with the invasion of the Spanish, to the acquisition by America after the Spanish American War. Flexibility was historically necessary and thus has become a part of the culture of Puerto Rico.     

  

My third cultural clue, friendliness and community can be best described using the peach and coconut culture concept in The Culture Map. Meyer explains that “peaches” are very openly friendly with strangers. Since Americans are also considered to be peaches, my experience with the Puerto Rican people was not anything outside my comfort zone. I felt welcomed everywhere I went, but should I have stayed longer on the island, I would have had to dig a little deeper in order to form a true connection with the people I was meeting.  

 

 

 

Summary and Implications

It is important to understand the differences between another culture and one’s own so that these differences can be embraced and explored. Considering Puerto Rico’s history and specific culture shown through dance, approach to time, and relationships, there is a lot to consider when determining how I can use my learning to manage cultural differences more effectively.

I learned respecting the history and culture of a place is very important. Knowing the importance of self-expression through art will affect my social interactions by allowing me to be more comfortable in new situations and not shy away from experiences. Even though I felt a little embarrassed dancing in the street next to couples whose salsa skills were more developed than mine, I learned then and throughout the trip to embrace the uncomfortable. Many of the people in Puerto Rico are excited to show travelers what their island can offer. Going forward, I will continue to embrace the cultural differences I perceive. Whether it was salsa dancing, trying new food, or exploring the night life, if I had not stepped outside into these new places, my trip would not have been as fulfilling.

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Understanding the circumstances surrounding flexible time in Puerto Rico, I can manage my initial frustration better going forward and approach situations more relaxed. I now know meals are not intended to be quick but meant for long conversation with friends or family. In other respects, as well, taking the time to cherish relationships and experiences over rushing onto the next is something I would like to apply more to my own life.

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In a relationship orientated culture, like Puerto Rico, it is important to form connections on a deeper level with the people you meet. One way I will manage this cultural difference more effectively in the future is by taking the time to study some of the language before I travel. I know now how important culture and identity is to the Puerto Rican people and Spanish is a distinct part of their culture. I took the Puerto Rican people’s knowledge of English for granted and did not practice my Spanish before the trip, but while I was there, I wished I had utilized more resources before my travel to prepare to speak Spanish. In the future, I want to push myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to learning and practicing a new language.

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My experiences in Puerto Rico allowed me to grow closer to my peers and professors which is something I will always be grateful for. I was also able to immerse myself in a beautiful and vibrant new culture. It will be a trip I will always remember, and I will take the insights I gained with me as I continue to build upon my knowledge and develop my cultural competency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

“Family Culture .” Puerto Rico, https://knowpuertorico.weebly.com/family-culture.html#:~:text=Family%20is%20the%20foundation%20of%20the%20Puerto%20Rican,as%20an%20integral%20part%20of%20the%20social%20structure.

Meyer, Erin. The Culture Map. PublicAffairs, 2014.

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