It’s been a while! A new year has begun, and we are redirecting our activities to emphasize research. You will be invited to participate in surveys and projects that help us assemble and share content that we value—oral histories, images, biographical profiles, author interviews, and other sources of information for self-directed learning.
In a previous blog post I suggested that questions about eldercare may require greater attention. (Click this link to open that essay.) As we continue to interview elders and share information about their (our) lives, changes across generations may become more obvious. I’m thinking about how differently the twenty-year-olds and others born before the Baby Boomers communicate. Even without the introduction of new technologies, the vocabularies and nonverbal communication messages have changed! Who wears hats, when and where? Norms have changed, as have the meanings of various symbols of cultural messages.
As we interview and survey international students, we may notice cultural differences and assumptions that have not previously been apparent. How will what we learn affect our interactions with people from other countries when they are in the United States or when we visit their home countries? How might what we learn affect our views about etiquette? Will we be more welcoming to people whose traditions are different from our own? Will we be more aware of the diversity within our own communities? How have we made some people feel more or less comfortable due to differences in our ways of interacting?
What really matters? How will we pay more attention to things that are important? What values do we want to affirm, reinforce and share? Which habits do we want to discard? What can we learn from one another that may strengthen our communities? What questions do you have that we might explore in this year of learning? In the near future, our website will provide convenient ways for you to respond to these and other questions. If you’re eager to share your thoughts, copy a question and respond in an email to info@aaero-mqmh.org.