Know your country, appreciate your culture

同志社中学校２年

How well can you introduce your country to foreigners?

足立美聡

I think that it is necessary

to know your country and appreciate your culture for international exchange.

In thisessay, I would like to explain why I think this way.

First of all, I think that just speaking the same language or just being good friends
with foreigners are not equal to international exchange.

英語 中学生－Real international exchange may

be achieved only after exchanging opinions and views based on each other’s culture.
A few years ago, my family hosted an American family.

At the beginning, I wasable to talk about myself and about my school. But when I got close to them, they asked
me about Japanese traditional dishes which they were fond of.
because I could not answer well.

But I got perplexed

On the other hand, they taught me about theirtraditional local dishes in detail, and I found it very interesting. So I wished I could havetold them about Japan that well in return.

At that time, I realized that international

exchange might start with knowing my own country.
To know your own country, I think it important to appreciate your culture.

Youtend to forget to appreciate your own culture because you are always surrounded by it.
In Japan, we think that we know Udon, but can we explain the difference between Udon
and, for example, Somen?

Japanese often eat Udon and Somen, but I think that there are

not many Japanese people who can explain the difference precisely.
Likewise, some foreigners might wonder why Japanese people have ritual ceremonies
in different forms of religions.

Others might ask me about Japanese historical figures

whom I am not familiar with.

And I am not sure if I can answer clearly when asked

regarding Japanese political system, world-famous Japanese novelists, or the reasons why
Japanese public transportation is so punctual.
As such, we Japanese may not be good at explaining Japanese culture because weare so accustomed to it.

And I think that it is also because we are likely to regard othercountries’ cultures as superior, and try to follow them.

But it seems to me that mostforeigners are interested particularly in Japanese culture.

Since we have such wonderfulculture that many foreigners love to know, why don’t we appreciate our own culture?
And if we appreciate it, we may find it easier to look into it in depth, and then weshould be able to explain that to foreigners.

In addition, if you know your own culture, you can compare it with foreign cultures.

Then

you

maybeabletounderstanding of each other.

respect

thedifferences

which

might

perhapsdeepenIn that way, I believe, you can have real international

exchange by comparing and respecting the differences.
From ancient times, there have been unceasing conflicts all over the world.

Those

conflicts are mainly caused by the differences in creeds, ethnic backgrounds, or politicalinterests.

But, if you can understand that it is natural to have differences and try tounderstand the significance of others’ beliefs, maybe conflicts will decrease.
very difficult to actually do so, and it will not be done soon.

It would be

But still, if you try to know

your own culture as well as others’, we might find ourselves respecting the differences,and hopefully that will bring us a peaceful world.

Know your country and appreciate your culture.
Nowadays,international

technologies and ideas.

exchangeiseverneeded

Are we being able to do that?
foracquiring

foreigncountries’

For that too, I think, it is essential to know your own country,
In the days

ahead, I think that we will have more opportunities to get involved with foreign countries,
but first, I will try not to forget to know my own country and culture.

－

英語 中学生and then you would become able to appreciate foreign cultures and values.