Sweet Tea Please and No Mary Kay. Thank You.

Anthropology was not a word that I was familiar with but to make it brief and simple for people like me it means the study of humanity. Four fields are then broken off from this study: Biological anthropology which is the study of humans as biological organisms. Archaeology that deals with the study of past human cultures. Third would be Linguistic Anthropology which would involve the study of human communication. Lastly, Cultural anthropology is the study of living people and their cultures. These four fields are separate but are connected to humanity and culture. “Culture diverges from, and shapes, nature nature is to consider basic natural demands of life within different cultural contexts” (14).

May I Have Something to Drink Please? 

Different cultures have different views on appropriate substance to drink, when to drink and with whom. I drink all day, every day. Throughout the day I am mostly a ping pong ball so I am always thirsty. I am running here or running there most of the time so a water bottle is always in hand. Since, I am from the South I was raised drinking sweet tea. I drink sweet tea a great deal of the day. When I am away from home I try and drink water to purify my body but sweet tea is a staple in my life!! For special occasions, weekends, holidays or even weddings; sweet tea is my first choice of beverage. Being in Georgia what else could you possibly want? Whenever I meet a tourist I always ask, “did you try sweet tea yet?! McDonald’s is the best!!!” If I walk into class with a cup of tea no one would think a thing. If I walked in with a Bud Light then a few heads would turn. I choose not to drink alcohol but when others do then I know friends are the number one choice to be with. On Sundays alcohol is not served. It is understood in the South that on Sundays no one is to be out buying beer on the Lord’s day. A wider social implications in a bar or a club would be more open to drink at any time throughout the day unlike school or a public place.   

(haha notice the picture?)

Im In Shock

     Culture shock will not even begin to describe what I felt when I walked into a Mary Kay party. I was baffled by all of the screaming, cheering, and chitty-chat! The women that ran the meetings were makeup crazed robots. No one was safe from the persuasion to join their sisterhood. The feeling I felt was a complete fish out of water. The air felt different, and the light was brighter (almost blinding). I felt like I was being judged for not wearing the right clothes, my hair not being fixed right, and my makeup being the wrong brand. I felt as if every eye was running over every crease in my clothes. Women were running into me left and right acting as if I did not exist. One bump on my left, shoving me to the right. I was almost in tears. I could not take the pressure on my chest any longer so I headed for the door. I was finally out in the clear, dark night. I took a deep breath and walked home alone. I coped with the situation by just leaving. I did not know how to handle it or who to talk to. All of the women seemed to be the same, judgmental. From my Mary Kay tragedy, I learned to not ever make someone feel that way and anyone that does feel alone to make them feel like they are good enough. 

Drinking is a requirement for us to live while experiencing different cultures is apart of life. From either going to school, to getting a job or visiting church, a new culture is experienced. Everyone experiences drinking on a day to day basis and even feeling a little out of place.