Culture Essay

I once encountered a man called Juma, whose country of origin was Uganda. Uganda is a country in Africa where men are recognized as leaders. Women leaders in Uganda are frowned upon, and seen as posing unnecessary competition to the men. The women have to work hard so as to get some respect, and still they cannot convince a large number of people. Juma came to America in search of a better life. He got his citizenship by applying for the US Green Card.
Communicating with Juma was very hard because of his Ugandan accent. I had to tell him to repeat his sentences so that I could grasp what he was saying. On the other hand, Juma found it hard to understand what I was saying because of my American accent. He said I spoke too fast, and that my words were not clear. Social interaction was necessary so as to ease the communication tension (Belasen, 2008). We decided to befriend another Ugandan called Kabaka who had been in America for more than three years. Kabaka enabled us to understand each other by moderating the speed of our conversations. After some time, Juma was able to speak faster and understand the American accent. I was also able to speak at a slower rate and more clearly.
Another thing I found strange with Juma was his way of undermining women. He still saw women as the inferior sex and thought of them as people who should remain at home and take care of the children. I took my time to understand his cultural background, and shared with him about the American culture. He was able appreciate women based on their skills and capabilities. Women possess very strong leadership qualities (Belasen, 2012).

Works Cited

Belasen Alan T. Developing Women Leaders in Corporate America. Westport: Praeger. 2012. Print.
Belasen Alan T. The Theory and Practice of Corporate Communication. Los Angeles: Sage. 2008. Print.