Intervention with stakeholders
I started my intervention by asking people on the street to play this cultural activity. I changed a little bit rule of this game.
I used my card game to ask participants to answer 5 questions. If there is only one participant, I will represent Chinese culture to answer questions with them. If there are two participants who are from different cultural backgrounds, I will ask both of them to answer the questions. The goal of this game not only is finding similarities but also getting to know about different cultures.
I found my stakeholders randomly on the street. Not everyone I got in touch with was willing to play. At last, I got 3 participants offline. However, these participants didn’t want to show their faces in my project so I recorded the video without filming their faces.
Participant 1:
Question 1: How do you celebrate the new year?
Both of us will have a meal with family.
Question 2: What time do most of the stores close in your country?
Participant 1: Sundays are at 5pm, weekdays they close at 8 or 9.
Me: Most of the stores close at 9 or 10 but some of them at 6.
Question 3: What do you do to stop hiccups?
Participant 1: I will hold my breath for like 30 seconds or just drink a lot of water.
Me: We will have sugar on the mouth or be scared by others.
Question 4: Do you like to take a nap?
Participant 1: Yes, I like to take a nap when I come home afterwards.
Me: Me too. I can’t do it every day but I like it.
Question 5: What are weddings like in your culture?
Participant 1: They have to be very big and grand. The bride has to wear red and the bride has to be given away by her dad. It is common in a lot of cultures. Traditional music is always played in the background.
Me: In tradition, the couple needs to wear red but nowadays people also like to wear white as western-style. We will have a big meal in a hotel. The couple will invite their friends and relatives. They will receive lucky money.
Feedback:
“Thank you for picking me. I think it’s special. I think our cultures are very similar. We have more similarities than the differences.”
Participants 2 and 3
Question 1: What time do most of the stores close in your country?
Participant 2: It depends on the store but normally 7 or 8pm.
Participant3: Same.
Question 2: How do you celebrate the coming of a new baby?
Participant 2: Have a party with family or friends.
Participant 3: Have a party with family or friends too.
Question 3: What meal would you serve if you wanted to help visitors to understand your culture?
Participant 2: Tortilla, paella, jamón.
Participant 3: Escargot.
Question 4: What birthday traditions do you have?
Participant 2: Cake and party with friends and family.
Participant 3: Yes, cake, party, Saturday night and alcohol.
Question 5: What’s your favourite breakfast?
Participant 2: English breakfast for me or tostada with jamon and tomato and oliver oil.
Participant 3: English breakfast.
Feedback:
Participant 2: “This (activity) can help me to practice my English.” “I have a group of people all are from different country, Japanese, Chinese, Brazilian. For me, I like this (activity)to know about other cultures. Yes, it helps me to understand cultures better.”
Participant 3: “Yes, we are same because we need to eat, to live. Spain and France are close so we have similarities but if you ask other people, for example Japanese. The answer can be different. “