Transferability of Knowledge

I , happened to sit beside an Indian man on a bus on my way home from work. It was not the Recently first time seeing him on the organization’s bus. We had met severally and occasionally waved at each other without conversing beyond greetings. What made me realize about him is his way of doing things, which seems different from most of the other people I work with. He had worn a long gown and a red scarf on his head. I started some small talks with him about the weather, and within a few minutes, we were already conversing like friends. Upon interacting for a few minutes, we had already established a friendship that would lead me to learn more about Indian culture. We exchanged contacts, and as days after a few days, we planned for the first meeting. For privacy purposes, I will give my subject a pseudo name, Mark.

I chose Mark because he demonstrated the Indian culture through his dressing, talked, greeted me, and generally, his behavior was evident that he adored and embraced his culture. Due to this, I felt that Mark could be knowledgeable on his culture, giving me informed information. Additionally, he was so friendly when I started a conversation with him. He accommodated my conversation by bringing up an interesting topic. It made me want to establish a relationship with him, and I decided that he would be my subject of knowledge transfer. Therefore, due to two reasons, I selected Mark because he would also meet my needs. I had three encounters with Mark, and my objectives were to learn about his: cultural events and their meanings, their practices, particular dressing and meals, and cultural beliefs, norms, and values.

Details of Entries

The first official encounter with Mark happened at a restaurant during a weekend. The purpose of the meeting was to learn more about Mark, what their dressing mode means, and their meals. During that meeting, I explained more about myself and told Mark why I was engaging with him and how the engagements would help me in my studies and life. He also introduced himself in detail, such as where he comes from, what he does in America, and a bit of his life history. We also talked about our dressing mode; remarkably, he explained the differences in dressing mode between male and female Indians and what they meant. Additionally, we discussed their meals, his favorite meal, and why. Generally, it was an exciting encounter.

The second encounter happened when Mark invited me over for a cultural event in his neighborhood during a weekend. Since we had already known each other, the meeting’s purpose was to dig deep into their culture to explore the most critical events in their culture and their meaning. I wanted to understand more about cultural events because I had witnessed many Indian events where each of them is done differently. So needed to understand their meanings. The encounter was interesting because I also got a chance to visit and tour his neighborhood, which looked exciting and had a calm ambiance.

The last encounter happened at Mark’s house. At that time, we had already established a deep friendship, and Mark invited me over to his house. I met his wife and child, who also proved to be welcoming and friendly. On that day, we discussed the Indian beliefs, values, and norms in general. It was an exciting and engaging discussion that impacted new knowledge in me.

Short Analysis per Diary

The first encounter was generally exciting. I got to learn more about Mark, and he also learned more about me. At first, I was a bit nervous that Mark could have been reluctant to open up to me. However, I was surprised because he was very interested in speaking to me. One of the critical things I learned that day is that the Indian culture views dressing as a symbol of social perceptions and norms. Their dressing code varies depending on the type of occasion, circumstances, and purpose. I also learned that meals are a crucial part of Indian culture. Asking a visitor to have a meal is a sign of respect and love. Also, I learned that there is some specific food applicable to every meal, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The second encounter was also fascinating because it was all about fun at the event. It was during the Indian Dance Festival that had brought together many Indians within the region. I enjoyed participating in the event, where I also learned many dance moves. As the event was going on, we discussed some of the most important events of the Indian culture and their meaning. The meaning of that particular event is to bring people together, have fun, and learn dance moves from each other. Some significant events that I learned about are Diwali, Holi, Ganesh Festival, Navaratri, and Onam. Lastly, the last encounter was very informative. I learned many things in detail as we were in a peaceful place. By that time, I had already learned many things about his culture, and I felt very knowledgeable. However, I still needed more knowledge of their beliefs, norms, and values. During this encounter, I was attentive because it forms the most critical in learning about the Indian culture. Some crucial norms and values that I learned are; Tyaga (renunciation), dana (liberal giving), nishtha (dedication), Satya (truth), Ahimisa (non-violence), and upeksha (patience, self-control). Also, I learned about their beliefs, such as good and bad omens, astrology, and why he as an individual still holds onto them