Ideal Cambodian Community: Embracing Culture and Traditions
I was born in Cambodia, but my family moved to New York City as refugees from the Khmer rouge at the age of 7. I see myself as a Cambodian and in this ideal community essay I want to talk about our cultural community.
In most cases, when people think of Cambodian culture, they first think about the symbol of Cambodia flag, especially Angkor Wat Temple. In Cambodia, it is impolite and rude not to show respect to adults. By bowing, this shows respect and consideration to the adults. In my opinion, this practice is used in many other countries as well. In America, if a person doesn’t show respect for the elderly, he or she would be considered rude as well. People in America, based on their customs, shake hands while by contrast, people in Cambodia bow, both of these techniques are custom driven as ways of showing respect.
I think every country has a different culture and history. Every culture can be based on or defined by, beliefs, values, and perceptions of a group of people. I think religion and tradition play a vital role in influencing our culture. When comparing Cambodia and America, there are some similarities. As far as Society goes, people in both countries concern themselves with taking care of their families by earning a living, and trying to stay healthy by going to the doctor when they are sick. On the other hand, regarding the main sport, people in Cambodia tend to play football “soccer” and people in America play tackle football. Similar sports, yet different in a lot of ways.
In Cambodia girls are not allowed to go out with boys or be alone with them. This is not a part of the traditions in Cambodia; it is not acceptable. However, here in America, girls can walk freely with boys and be left alone. Also, it is an accepted practice that some American girls move in with their boyfriends before marriage, this practice is not acceptable in Cambodia. Another Cambodian cultural different is in Cambodia people believe is bad luck to touch someone’s head. This belief is not shared in American culture. Cambodians believe by touching someone’s head that it will make them lose their intelligence or soul.
In Cambodia, there more of a sense of community as most people help and look after each other. They share things freely with their neighbors without expecting something in returns. The community is built on an element of trust of each other. Cambodians don’t have that feeling or sense of entitlement as they feel you should work for what you want. By contrast, in America there are some people feel like the government own them something. There is definitely a sense of entitlement shared among some Americans. The sense of community is not as strong in America as it is in Cambodia, and this may be attributed to the fact that there are some many diverse groups and cultures in America. That said, I feel that a sense of community is important in any culture. In Cambodia most adult children are require living at home until marriage. The children that is are brough up here in America are integral part of the family unit and are expected to contribute to the overall welfare of the entire family. Every people are different not only in gender, ethic, religions, psychological, and social characteristics but also in their cultural perspectives and prejudices.
In conclusion, even though there are some clear similarities between the cultures of both countries, there are also many differences. It is fascinating to learn about different customs and traditions as this knowledge help us for making embarrassing mistakes. It is important to know how a simple touch can disturb an entire culture. One of the most valuable recommendation is if we need to respect each other’s cultures and we will live in an ideal community. My wish is that every citizen in Cambodian and The United States will live in a satisfactory way. We are having many differences, but what matters the most is that we are committed to growing together, remaining part of each other’s lives and society.
