Third world culture
The world is constantly becoming more and more intertwined. Countries and people are becoming more dynamic and interdependent. A couple who changes their original environment, move to a new country, and have a child there will be forced to rise up to the challenge of raising the child in a different culture, one they are not familiar with. They will be forced to witness a strange childhood since the child will experience and be exposed to things that the parents were not exposed to during their childhood. A good example is a couple from India who moves to the United States of America and have a baby there. The child will be exposed to American language, culture and technology. The parents will be forced to react and adjust themselves to the new language and environment. If the parents move back to India with their child they will be forced to adjust their family to the familiar new environment. It may not be easy for the child to adjust due to the drastic social, political and economic changes. The child would find it difficult to adjust to the Indian society after being raised in an American environment. (Stearns, 28)The language will be especially difficult to understand. America is an open society whereas India has a more discreet society that has a high emphasis on strong family values and limited freedoms. The child may at first find it difficult to adjust and intermingle with members of the new society. He will feel uneasy because he will be forced to accept that the new society does not accept the same levels of freedom that they American society bestowed on his family. He will however have the unique advantage of growing up in diverse cultures and this will prepare him for possible future changes in environment. (Stearns, 118)
The children will be taught Indian values with a sense of American freedom. The child will speak both English and Indian languages. English will be more superior due to the increased exposure that the child underwent in America. The parents will be forced to teach the child a new way of life after they return to their original country. The society around them may not easily accept their child’s different behaviour. The child may be isolated by his peers and it may affect his academic performance. The parents may be stigmatized if their child behaves or dresses in a strange manner and they may also become isolated by their fellow residents. In my future career I will teach my child different values so that I can enable him to be more prepared for any changes that may come along. (Stearns, 57)
Bilingualism
Bilingualism is a social phenomenon that has become more and more apparent in recent years. The increased popularity of bilingualism is no doubt a result of the convergence of the world into a global village where boundaries are increasingly rendered with less importance. Several countries officially promote bilingualism. An example is Canada which promotes English and French within its borders. One disadvantage of bilingualism is that it can be very hard to promote. It costs resources to implement and people may not be very eager to learn more than one language. (Adams & Carfagna, 48) A foreigner can travel to a bilingual country that uses Arabic and English. The traveler may find it easier to communicate in this bilingual country if he is from an English speaking country. If the same traveler goes to a monolingual country that uses only Arabic he will find it more difficult to communicate. The benefits of having two languages include the ability to communicate with a more diverse group of people. They will prepare nationals of that country to work in a variety of environments during their future careers. I know from experience that people who use more than one international language are more likely to rapidly advance throughout their careers. They are more likely to be handed international assignments that come with a great deal of positive exposure. (Adams & Carfagna, 77)
Works Cited
Stearns, Peter N. Educating Global Citizens in Colleges and Universities: Challenges and Opportunities. Routledge, 2008.
Adams, J. Michael & Carfagna, Angelo. Coming of age in a globalized world: the next generation. Kumarian Press, 2006.