Examples Of Cultural Immersion Experience

Running Head: CULTURAL IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

Cultural Immersion Experience
Social/Cultural Foundations of Counseling

The experience that I had at the Jewish Museum was unlike anything I had anticipated. Right from the beginning, I was immersed in a culture that was so unfamiliar to me but so rich in history. I learned an array of different things from careers of early Jewish immigrants to the struggles they faced during World War II. As I went through the museum, I became more interested in this Jewish culture, which I knew so little about. One of the most interesting aspects of the museum, in my opinion, was the information regarding World War II and the Holocaust. Over 2,000 Jewish men and women from the Milwaukee area served
in World War II.
While these men and women were fighting, other Jewish men, women, and children were being demoralized from human beings to less than animals. These men, women, and children suffered horrible deaths after being ripped from their families with no warning or reason. In my opinion, for the Jewish culture to survive such a catastrophe is simply amazing. These men and women had enough faith in their culture that they continued it after a mass extinction of their people. The term “Jewish” often gets a negative connotation and these extraordinary men, women, and children are often looked down upon. Many different parts of the museum highlighted that this is simply not correct. Aside from their bravery, these men and women are no different than we are. They celebrate Rosh Hashanah just as we celebrate the New Year. They share family meals and celebrate births and weddings just
as we do. One of the biggest revelations that came to me at the museum was the fact that the Jewish culture is not as different from my own as I previously thought.
I was very interested to learn that many people from the Milwaukee area were and still are a part of Judaism. When learning about something that is unfamiliar, it is easy to associate it with some far off country. It is much more interesting to learn that this is something that goes on daily in the Milwaukee area. From a young age I had always had a narrow mindset when it came to other religions, mostly due to lack of knowledge about other religions. Catholicism seemed to dominate the area I was from.
I was surprised at what this trip to the Milwaukee Jewish Culture Museum taught me about myself. Growing up, I attended catholic grammar school as well as high school. Whether this was the intention or not, I believe I was taught that Catholicism was right and other religions were wrong. I was not exposed to many other children that belonged to different religions or cultural groups. During my younger years, the idea of questioning this never crossed my mind. However, in my later years, I began to wonder. My journey through this museum taught me that the Jewish culture may or may not be anymore correct than the Catholic culture is but we all share common ideals and bonds. Just because these men, women, and children study the Torah does not mean they are less of a person than I am. Again, I do not know whether the message was intended to come across this way or not, but I believe the Catholic school system I grew up in was condescending at times. There is a reason that these strong beliefs and education of these people keep Judaism thriving today. I came away from this experiencing that I am no one to judge others based on race, religion, or any other factor. I felt that the museum was an incredibly informative and eye opening experience.
After spending some time in the museum I actually did a lot of reflecting on everything that I had read and listened to. I thought about ways in which I would go about counseling someone from a strong Jewish background. Relating back to what I said earlier, the term “Jew” is commonly used in a negative manner and tends to be associated with people who are less than us. In fact, I will admit to having that same assumption as other people. I don’t view myself as a judgmental or close-minded person, but I guess in a way, the Jewish Museum has allowed me to understand myself on a different level. We are not always conscious of our own prejudices and stereotypes. Which brings me to my first point of educating yourself. Sometimes we often make the mistake of assuming that other cultures do things the same way we do. It’s important and crucial to understand that people from different cultures might have an entirely different value system.
Another key point that should be understood by the counselor is the concept of personal space. Back when I was in my undergrad Counseling class, I learned just how important it is to remind ourselves that every culture has different norms of personal space. Take for example the Arabian culture and their concept of personal space. They do not share the same ideals that Americans have. The Arabian culture considers it to be offensive to step or lean away while talking with someone. However, regardless of someone’s cultural background, every person is different.
Neil Conan led a National Public Radio announcement that was titled, “Providing Therapy Across Different Cultures.” I listened to this half hour interview and I learned a lot from what he was saying. When immigrants face depression, therapy might not be the first option these people tend to explore. Often times when they do decide to seek counseling, they encounter a cross-cultural struggle to be understood by American practitioners. This is another reason why I am a huge advocate of studying abroad. Conan addressed the importance and many advantages of those who were able to spend time in another country. I lived in Guatemala for a few months to do some volunteering and not only did I learn so much about the Guatemalan culture, but I learned even more about my own views and myself. Every once in a while it’s important to step out of our little cultural bubbles of society and emerge ourselves into unfamiliar situations.