Cross-Cultural Understanding

By Irene Menendez:

That is very important for this trip, I think. I really believed I knew latin culture but now, I know it isn't true. I have lived with Latin people in Spain but it's not the same as living with them here, in a Latin country. Venezuelan society is hospitable, friendly, affectionate...but it is also chauvinistic and idolatrous too.

I realized we live in comfortable and preferencial countries. I don't say that for material comforts as much as for spiritual comforts. This country has a great pressure of the enemy. In the beginning I thought the people here were very spiritual people, but really they need to be like that because the enemy uses each little detail or neglect to have power over them. He uses traditions, ignorance, inheritances...We complain about our country because we think that being young is difficult because we can't do some things like other young people can and they see us as odd people if we are really Christians; but here...I think you know, most people believe in God, but there is a great step between believing in God and following Him. Here people don't see you as odd if you say you love Jesus. Here the problem is to have to live in a bubble because most of the society is contaminated with the enemy, and for that reason, parents try to overprotect their kids.


Really this is not the theme about which I wanted to speak, but I thought it was important. It is a new theme. Some conversations with people here were about that, and while they haven't persuaded me, they have opened my eyes about that. Our society is a equal society relatively. Women and men have the same rights and duties. The road in our society to be in this position was long and difficult, and through it we won some things, but we lost a lot of good things too. Here they continue to practice the custom that a woman finishes working when she gets married, and she is at home and with kids. Women have to submit to men but really they have power just not principal power. They have other good things like have more kids for family and women use to sit before.

This society is so different, and some people say it is backward, but I see it with respect even though some things I do not agree with. There are other good customs that we have lost and it only merits respect.