Linh's 3rd journal

After the United Kingdom made India a colony in the 19th and 20th centuries, English has become an official language in this eastern country. Many people thought that this would change the culture of the Indian people forever. However, after a century of being independent, India, one of the cradles of human civilization, maintains its traditional culture of an eastern country. When I watch Oprah’s show with Aishwarya Rai, I can’t help thinking that Aishwarya is really an eastern woman, though she speaks English perfectly. In my opinion, eastern countries may have some differences in their lifestyles, but they all share some fundamental similarities in culture. Therefore, what Aishwarya says will probably be the same as what many other eastern women want to say.

The best way to differ East and West is to look at family life. While eastern people often depend too much on their families to make important decisions in their lives, western people seem not to. Children in Asian countries normally grow up within the “tight protection” of their parents, while those in American and European countries have more independence. As Aishwarya says, “it is one of the most beautiful special things” for one to stay connected with his or her parents until getting married. In Vietnam, it is even considered abnormal if a person lives alone before getting married, except for schooling or vocational reasons. Today, many couples still live with their parents, the husband’s parents in particular. In term of living on one’s own, western people seem very different. In addition, although arranged marriage in eastern countries is not as popular as it was in the past, it is still prevalent here and there. Certainly, parents still have an important role in one’s making a marriage decision; and a couple’s happiness also depends much on the harmonious relationship between the in-laws.

Another interesting thing is the public taboos. Kisses or hugs in public has long been considered a beauty in western culture. We sometimes even see “free hugs” service in Waikiki or Ala Moana. While eastern people still feel shy to do so, especially in rural areas.

It is hard and impossible to say which culture is better. However, it can be seen that in the recent years, East and West have come together nearer and nearer thanks to the globalization and the development of technologies.

Date 4/18/2008