Just as we learn more about ourselves by visiting other cultures, so can we learn more about our own culture when seen through the eyes of others. For this, I have my partner to thank. For his family and friends here in Guinea, he is the paramount of wisdom of life in the US and there are a few stories I’ve listened to him share in my time here.
One that never fails to amaze is his story of one of the first times he shared a home with roommates. Sharing a home is certainly not strange to Guineans, nor is sharing resources. In this instance, my partner shared a home, kitchen, and specifically, refrigerator with others who were paying by the room. One day he ventured, hungry, out to the kitchen and found an orange in the fridge. He ate it gladly, and was later shocked when the owner of said orange confronted him when he went searching for his fruit and found it gone. My boyfriend will act out the confrontation with grand gestures, demonstrating how angry the man was to not have his orange. His listeners will invariably be amazed at somebody getting so angry over sharing such a small item of food – something so common it goes without saying it will be done here in Guinea. The story ends with my boyfriend cooking up delicious food and not sharing it with the stingy, salivating roommate. Continue reading “American Culture Through Guinean Eyes”