Over the summer my best friend moved to New Hampshire (McCornack Geographic Separation Principle , 370). I have been very close to my best friend since the tenth grade. After my best friend got the news that her and the family was moving we made a promise to see each other everyday til the day she moved to New Hampshire. I helped my best friend pack her room up, pack her son room up. During, the days leading up to her moving we were very emotional and worried how would our friendship be. The week before my best friend move I threw a surprise going away party. The party was very emotional and everyone gave a speech about what they were going to miss about my best friend. I made a best friend vow about our friendship not fading off, texting, calling everyday, and to remain truthful about what ever happens. A few weeks past, and my best friend moved it was definitely a challenge. My best friend moving was a challenge because I could not do a seven minute drive up the street to vent, or steal some food. The main challenge is just relying on texting, FaceTime. I could no longer have fun date nights, sleep overs with my best friend and her son. I also say jealousy was a challenge because we both did not like seeing each other hang out with other friends. We have to learn how to learn to communicate with each other. When we are both working and doing school and we can not talk, we feel like we are drifting from each other. We are definitely learning how to communicate in many different ways so that we do not lose each other. Being in a long best friend distant relationship is a major change from seeing each other everyday to planning to see each other every few months. You do not realize how much someone means until you go from seeing them eight minutes down the road to eight- nine hours away.

I was working the late shift on Monday. Usually Monday nights are busy nights at work. Wendys has a huge dinner rush from 5-10pm. We are slammed with customers in drive-thru and inside because people do not want to cook for they families and spend fifty dollars on Wendy’s food rather than cooking a simple pot of spaghetti. During the work shift we get a bus of football players. Everyone in the store just stops and looks like “ what the hell?, did this really just happen?” As, I am the fry station making all the fries and nuggets. I step off my station to help hand the food out I noticed a football player picking on another teammate. I look to my left I hear one the players a heavy set say to the other team small and scrawny “ you suck tonight, should eat all your food”, then proceeded to push him. The smaller kid fell over and the bigger boy just walked over. I told my boss what I saw and he told me he trusted me to handle it professionally. I took a chocolate frosty to smaller kid and told him, “Do not let people push on you like that and defend yourself.” I approached the bigger kid and coach talking and told him “ the next time you I see you speak and touch someone like that I will tell you to leave, men do not pick on people only boys do.” I did not like seeing the smaller kid getting picked on like that because he had a rough game. Regardless of size, no one should get bullied.” Workplace Bullying” (McCornack,398).

On late Tuesday night I had a dinner date with my mother. I decided to treat my mom to a dinner and dessert restaurant at Ruby’s Tuesdays. My mom and I were discussing whether I should take the job offer at Chick Fil A and leave Wendys? My mom started getting on my case that I should just leave fast food industry alone and do a job or internship that will lead me to my career in life. I was thinking to myself ” why is she killing a achievement right now?” I responded to her ” Why cant you just enjoy a small accomplishment for me?” I then realized in that sudden moment it looked like in her eyes that she was going to snatch my head off my shoulders in that sudden moment. She gave me the look of ” Who are you talking too right now?” I checked and realized that I am talking to my mother and not my friends. I came to the conclusion on why she looked at me like that and it was because of my tone. My tone came off very aggressive and demanding. How I came off to my mom was disrespectful because of the pitch and tone I used with her when she was frustrating me. ( Chapter 9 Nonverbal Communication, Principle Managing Interactions page 249). I told my mom that I was wrong for how I came off to her and it was just my tone and pitch that I used. Also, I meant it in a sympathetic way not a aggressive,demanding way towards her. I relayed to her in that moment wish you just congratulated me and not lecture me on what I should do instead. So, in this situation I learned what I intend does not always come across that way. I have to be careful on how I deliver things to people.

On Tuesday I took my best friend on a lunch date to just treat her. We were having a good lunch date eating at Olive Garden. My best friend was telling me about her son who is eight months old is growing too fast and showing me photos of him. As, we were eating our food my best friend was telling me that she was worried about my health because I work and go to school and do not take time to rest and that i am not eating properly meals. She mentions I have bags under my eyes and that my face looks little bigger than before. My best friend lastly states that my face seems to be dull now. While, she is talking I feel myself getting annoyed ( preventing emotions before they occur , page 105) as I feel my temper getting ready to burst. I take a sip of water and breathe. I think before responding and think she is being my best friend and honestly just worried about my health and making sure I am taking of myself. I stop and take this in as in self assessment as if I am taking care myself. I proceeded to tell her that “I do appreciate her taking in consideration how I am doing? and my health?” I am glad I decided to see another viewpoint of the situation instead getting mad cussing her out.

On Tuesday a few of the girls and I decided to meet at a  Japanese restaurant. We were watching the chef cook in front of us and putting the food on our plates. As we were eating and enjoying our meals one of the guys try to make a joke about the chef and started acting like he was speaking Japanese but was not and that joke caused of the girls who were mixed with Chinese feel offended. The girl who felt offended told him that making jokes like that are not funny and just are ignorant. She proceeds to tell him there is a difference between Chinese,Korean,Japanese and that if you do not know what one culture does you say Asian so you do not offend another race/culture. He proceeds to tell her to just relax and take a joke. She proceeds to tell him that he is not understanding that making a stereotype and putting it along all Asian cultures is very offensive and stereotyping. He tells her he was not trying to offend her and was trying to make a joke. She lastly tells him that he would not like her going saying that Africans,Jamaican, Haitians are the same when they are not. I told my friends we should not cultural jokes at all because it is very ignorant and do not want to label someone and wrong with that label. 

So during this lunch I learned that even when trying to make a joke you have to be careful you are not stereotyping and not going to offend anyone off your joke. In the Reflect And Relate textbook talks about high and low context cultures meaning not to presume what is in everyone’s culture ( Chapter 6 Cultural Differences, high and low context,  page 134). When you are talking about a culture do not just assume it is everyone’s culture and to not put assumptions or stereotypes into some culture because you do not who you are offending.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

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