Everyone has his/her own perception of the world, which differs from person to person. How we see the world and interpret what we see is based on many factors. From the moment we are born, the way doctors, nurses, our parents and society treat us plays a part in molding us into the people we grow into. Everything from the experiences we face, how we are treated, our belief, the social conditioning and upbringing affect how we see the world. All these create within us a value system that is similar to those from the same culture, social background and country. Some refer to it as the national culture. But within each national culture there are variations among different social groups and even regional variations. In school, we were taught that Saudis were divided into three categories based on where and how they lived: the city dwellers, farmers, and the nomads. Today, the nomads are very few in number with most settling down in towns and cities with their children and grandchildren holding high-level positions. But despite this migration and having high administrative positions, they still have the nomad inside them. This is evident in their strong desire to go out on desert trips during the spring season and hunt. But what is deeper, is their perception and priorities in life. A friend of mine shared a very insightful observation she made while comparing Saudi mothers' attitude to their children's behavior. Saudi mothers, who are originally from the city, place great pride in their homes and its interior decor. They see their own pride in their homes and give great attention and care to every detail. Children are taught that they should not walk into the Majlis or touch decorative items. However, mothers who come from an ancestry of nomads also enjoy decorating their homes and find pride in them. They, however, are less fussy about their children messing up with the house. If a child plays in a house he is given more freedom to play and jump around, not because there is less discipline but because the perception of what is a home and how we see ourselves is different. “A home to a nomad is a place to sit, sleep and a roof on the head. Nomads used to change homes very frequently while city dwellers have pride in their home for its status in society,” explained my friend. Just knowing that the way we see situations differ from person to person is an eye opener. Some would jump to conclusion that a mother might be too lenient when she lets her children play ball in the house, but we should remember that her priorities are different than ours. • Suzan Zawawi is a Cross Cultural Consultant with an MA specialized in Cross Cultural Communication. Share your cross cultural experience or send in your cultural questions to [email protected] __
