Does your culture define you as a person or vice versa?

Culture is a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perception and behavior--, an abstract "mental print" or "mental code." This definiton can be easily understood and reduced to just two words: people's behavior which is not wrong but it might sometimes vary because even though it affects to define whether you are a good person and citizen or not, as well as the place where you come from, it does not state all about you, your personality, your values, qualities and defects, and as I mentioned before it does affect people because there are many cases in which they may conform according the culture. Trying to search a statement that helps me reassert my viewpoint, I found one extremely interesting, at least for me because it states exactly what I am willing to pass on you, it is a quote from Jimmy Carter (one of the former presidents of the United States): "We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams." It is such a great way of giving a second meaning to the idea I just stated above because it clearly explains to us that we are not all exactly the same either physically or mentality which simultaneously clears up any misunderstanding with this quote's idea. We are all raise with common beliefs and customs that are shaped through life by parents, schooling, peer groups and media, but it also depends on what you want to show to the world, what impression you are trying to cause and how you want people look at you. People all around the world have got used to generalize or stereotype just by meeting another country's person, which is going towards the wrong path because you can meet 2 guys from the same country, and they do not even speak in the same way or have common behaviors.

Panamanian culture being part of other countries' lifestyle

There are many ways in which your country's culture can be known, and one of them is the one I am experiencing at present which is being ambassador because through you, your knowledge and all the information you have acquired since you were born until these days, people from all over the world can get to know how your country is like, and at the same time they know more about beliefs and customs. During my two-month stay at Ole Miss, I have had the opportunity to spread the Panamanian culture in many different ways such as, speeches, projects, talking with acquantainces who have become friends, and some others. When talking about academics, the most common way to do it is in class, mentioning a little bit about the outstanding topics which are, food, music, typical dresses, craftwork and daily activities; there are some other ways of exposing your international classmates about your culture which sometimes are slightly easier to describe because you are not under pressure of being graded.

Panamanian floklore can be experienced through a multitude of festivals, dances and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation . Local cities host live Reggae en Espanol (in Spanish), Reggaeton, salsa and merengue performances. Outside of Panama City, regional festivals take place throughtout the year featuring local musicians (who play our traditional music which is "tipico"), and dancers. Another example of Panama's blended culture is reflected in the traditional products, such as woodscarvings, ceremonial masks and pottery, as well as in its architecture, cuisine and festivals.

An example of undisturbed, unique culture in Panama stems from the Kuna Indians who designe "the Molas." Mola is the Kuna Indian word for blouse, but the term mola has come to mean the elaborate embroidered panel that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman's blouse.

The eight wonder of the world is a Panamanian symbol that identifies us and make us happy of our citinzenship, and it is specifically our most relevant icon; The Panama Canal. This is one of our belongings that cannot be left at the moment of presenting my country Panama to others.

SPANISH: One of the most important languages worldwide

Spanish is a romance language that was originated in Spain, and gradually spread to other places covering what nowadays we know as The Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific. At present, 400 million people speak Spanish as their native language or mother tongue, making it the world's second most spoken language. It is absolutely rewarding to speak a language that has become one of the most important all over the world, and that has gotten the attention af many people; Spanish is growing as fast as you couldn't ever imagine. Language reflects your culture, your beliefs, what you are, and what you feel as a citizen from a country whose mother tongue is Spanish. Since the first moment a person states her/his native language is Spanish, one can start thinking about that person's background, about how different can the culture, lifestyle and values be, and also you started appreciating a language you have been never exposed to. As I mentioned before, Spanish has spread all around the world which means that it is spoken in many different countries, though in every single country where it is the native language, it has been differenciated in a certain way that you are able to notice from what country a Spanish native speaker comes from. There are times in which some people are not able to recognize from what country you are, but they are able to recognize that the language being spoken is Spanish.

There are many relevant facts that prove the importance of this languages such as, economic and cultural indicators. Some of the economic indicators are:

-The Latin American countries are experiencing strong economic growth and they are becoming important commercial partners.

-The dramatic growth in the Spanish language and Spanish speaking populations has sparked world wide demand for Spanish language radio, newspapers, and other media. In 2004, for example, China launched a Spanish television channel.

Among the cultural indicators, we have:

-Latin culture has made tremendous contributions to the world's art and literature. The Spanish language has brought us, among other gifts the world's second-most translated book, Cervantes' don Quijote, available in 60 languages.

My impression of the United States

It has been two months since I got here, and the impression I used to have about this country and its citizens has totally changed because it is the first time I really have contact with Northamerican people and it has allowed to really get to know how the Americans are like and what you can expect from them. A few years I was very influenced by people who have the idea that Americans are not as friendly and kind as people from other countries, and they are always busy and do not have time to share with

you which is absolutely untrue because I have witnessed how it is living in a country in which you do not have any relatives or friends or at least an acquaintance to hang out and have fun. Here it is when Americans have played a very important role in my life while being in their country; during these two months I have met hundreds of people from all over the world, and now I can assure anybody that Americans can be as easy-going and warm as anybody else. If I point out every single thing I have gone through since I arrived at Ole Miss, I will never come to an end, but it is satisfactory to let others know the truth and how these people who are considered by many Latin Americans as tough and unfrienly are really like. Another concept that has also been altered is the weather which thought was either cold or cool, but I could have experienced it is not "the perfect weather" as I used to think; it has been a little bit hard for me to get used to it because even though I come from a tropical country I am not familiar with a scorching weather. In addition to what I have mentioned, the compromise to sports to which youth is tight to is amazing, is something to be admired because they have gotten involved into it and they try to work daily to follow what they want and to reach their goals; this was something I knew beforehand, but I was not aware how serious it was for them. Finally, academics keep being in the same level as it was before arriving here; I have always stereotyped Americans as "reading lovers and passionate for studies", and now I am interacting with them I can be completely convinced of that.