The most significant thing of today’s class lead discussion was the examples. The examples of different cultures and culture shocks that people experienced is what made the class I think. The examples helped to make us understand that although we say we know other cultures are different but we don’t truly experience it until it happens to us. It was significant also in the way we could express ourselves. We could tell a long story with lots of details, be funny about it, or cut right to the point. It also allowed us to get to know one and another better. It showed us that we are all similar in the way that we all have these experiences yet we are different in the way or context that we experienced it. I think your culture is directly tied to your Discourse. As these examples were being shared, I thought about how these cultures are not just a part of society but also a part of our Discourse. You wouldn’t be the same person with the same experiences in a different environment therefore you wouldn’t have the same Discourse(s) you have now. I think it is possible to alter and adapt to new cultures that get integrated into our Discourses.
ealge17 
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I agree with everything you’re saying here, Erin! It was very nice to here everyone’s different experiences with being exposed to different cultures. It’s definitely something that all people have in common! I also agree with what you said about not being able to understand different cultures until we are exposed to them. For me this is especially true. Like you, I also made a connection between the class discussion and Discourses. Thanks for the read!
I agree that the individual culture shocks and culture experiences that our classmates shared really made the class. It was good to see what other people thought about different cultures and how much they are unlike the US’s culture. I was also surprised at how many of our classmates have been to quite distant countries.
The aspect of your free write that I agree most upon, would be when you mentioned the significance of the students being able to share there own experiences that any of us might have encountered that tie to the points we were discussing in class. Being able to connect our own firsthand experiences to new concepts helps us to identify further with new information.
I think that the fact that you linked Discourse and culture was really important! I think that our primary Discourse plays a huge role in what we perceive as our culture. I think that secondary Discourse can blur these lines however. Do you think that culture is more effected by our primary or secondary discourse?
I agree with what you have said and what I have taken out of what you have said is that people are who they are dependent on the environment around them. Their discourse varies depending on the culture that they are in. Though, how does the culture that we are in here make us different from students at a university in upstate New York? Thinking upon this really makes you wonder how is culture defined and how does each different culture relate back to discourses.