72 UnIT 11 | Culture is key Unit 11 Culture is key Read the text about an American teacher working in Africa, then choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for questions 1–6. Put a cross ( ) in the correct box. The first one (0) has been done for you. READInG 1 How I offended an entire class through cultural ignorance “We would like to present you with a gift,” said Madam Yvonne breathlessly over the phone, “to say thank you for teaching in our school these past three months! Please stop by our school anytime today.” “Sounds great!” I said. So after our lunch, Oliver and I hopped on our creaky bikes and headed to the school. We arrived. The students were in the middle of Culture class, and so they were all dancing outside to live drumming. How could we NOT join in? I danced like a dancing fool. The students will likely be laughing for years to come. The drumming ended and we went up to the classroom. All the children were squished onto their wooden benches and leaned forward expectantly. “Madam Lillie,” Yvonne said ceremoniously, picking up a sparkling red and silver wrapped package, “We appreciate all the work you have done with us, and we would like to present you with this gift to say thanks.” Amazing! I was overjoyed and so touched! “Shall I open it right now?” I asked dramatically, trying to build suspense and excitement for the unveiling, as we do so often back in America. “No!” said some of the students. “Yes!” said others. Hmm … that was odd. “Am I supposed to open it in front of them?” I whispered desperately to Oliver, realizing I was entering an area of cultural confusion. Oliver made some gesture with his head that was somewhere between a ‘No’ and a ‘Yes’. I was awfully confused. Well, at this point it would have been very rude in America not to proceed with the unwrapping. I mean, these lovely people spent all this time to select a thoughtful gift and wrap it nicely. In my country, when we put in such an effort, we look forward to seeing the look on the recipient’s face when they hungrily rip it open in front of us. How could I let them down? And so I began tearing open the wrapping paper. I was so excited to see what the gift was! I peeked up at the faces in the room and couldn’t quite read them. Happiness? Confusion? Anger? Ah, but how could they NOT want to see the present and my face as I gazed upon it? Four layers of wrapping paper later, the most beautiful kente pattern fabric imaginable unfurled itself into my hands. Gold! Purple! Yellow! Green! Oh, the beauty! “It is the most perfect gift ever. Thank you so much!” I handed my camera to Oliver to take photos. Again, I noted some strange expressions on the faces of everyone in the classroom. I began, with a sinking feeling, to realize that something, somewhere, had gone terribly wrong. On the way out, I saw Madam Yvonne pull Oliver to the side for a hurried private conversation. They both seemed upset. I felt nauseous with unexplained guilt. What had I done? At last, Oliver spoke. “You should not have opened the present in front of them,” he said. “Oh, no!” I cried, “I’m so sorry. I was trying to read your face, but I thought you might be joking when you said, “No.” Why didn’t you just grab my hands and stop me? In my culture it is very rude NOT to open the present, so you should have showed me the right thing to do before I messed up!” “I didn’t want to embarrass you,” said Oliver. “But I’m even more embarrassed now!” I wailed. “You should have forcibly stopped me.” Key Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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