Defining Culture

• How do your beliefs, values and cultural upbringing influence the way you behave?

It affects significantly, since for me is the base of who I am, the way I tend to see things. However, it might be a slightly change on this base, depending on the world's evolving and continuos change.

According to what I grew up with I will behave, and as previously stated it is the base of my behavior; but also depending on the people around me and the situation I will have to adapt if the case is different than my regular scenario.

I strongly believe how important it is to mantain alive the root of everything you were thaught when being kids, the culture on which you learned to handle yourself, it defines the most of who you are now; but it is also important to be capable to adjust yourself to other people's culture and try to comprehend the reason of their behavior so a common end could be accomplished.

• How does it feel when others see you as different-or as an outsider?

If they see me different in a despective way, I will feel very bad and may even become shy. Since I am from Limon, sometime people tend to remark differences due to our variable customs, for example about the food, dances, music and various activities, among others.

Fortunately, I had not have a negative experience on this matter, on the contrary, it has been a positive incident because most of the people around me, when they ask "where are you from?", really like to know about our culture and show a tremenduos interesting for learning our customs.

I do think that the fact that you may be seen as different is not always bad!

• How do other's beliefs, values and cultural upbringing influence the way they behave?

Similar to my case I consider that it strongly influence them. Since these beliefs, values and cultural upbringing are their basis and it also defines what they have been learned since borned.

They might have as well try to apply small changes according or depending on their current situation and how society may had been changed.