BAFA BAFA

             During our class’s BAFA BAFA simulation, I was assigned to be a Betan as part of the Beta culture.  Learning the Beta culture was fairly straightforward.  Using sets of cards distributed to every Betan that were then traded among all Betans, we needed to collect numbers 1-7 of a particular color in order to score points for ourselves.  In order for a successful trade to happen, it was important to negotiate a deal that satisfied both trader’s needs.  However, we could only communicate using a simple verbal system that from the English-speaking perspective may have seemed repetitive, rhythmic, and even nonsensical, coupled with a small set of response-oriented body movements. 

            Once we were asked to leave the security and familiarity of Beta culture to experience Alpha culture, a myriad of social challenges emerged.  First off, the communication of the Beta culture was starkly different to that of the Alpha culture.  Initially, I sort of roamed like a vagabond between groups of Alphans while feeling ignored and excluded.  Once I was invited into a group, talking with the Alphans was embarrassing and awkward because neither party could understand what the other was saying.  After participating in their card game, I received a barrage of hostile body language from every member of the group.  Afterwards, I learned why: I had in fact committed an offense by unknowingly doing the equivalent of giving them the middle finger!  In addition to the language barrrier, it became apparent very quickly that there were differences between social values between Alphans and Betans.  Being used to a very self-centered way of life as a Betan where my top priority was the personal acquisition of sets of cards and where every Betan was considered to be part of the same social class, I was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of social hierarchy within Alphan culture.  When I walked up to a group of four female and one male Alphan, I was confused that the male Alphan needed to sign a piece of paper I was holding so that I could talk to the females.  During my time among the group, I remember feeling overwhelmed with my lack of understanding of Alphan social structure to the point where I was not able to pick up on the details effectively and act appropriately.

            Experiencing the simulation challenged me to overcome my natural ethnocentric views in order to attempt to understand the cultural differences of Alphan life.  It made me realize just how uncomfortable I can be in a situation where I don’t understand what is happening.  I believe the simulation generated a scenario perhaps similar to one I will experience abroad.  If I am to become a better fit in the foreign culture, I must not be afraid to take risks and make mistakes that could be very embarrassing to myself or offensive to others.