Running head: CULTURAL IMMERSION & AGENCY ASSESSMENT REPORT 1

William A Zeanbo

Cultural Immersion & Agency Assessment Report

AHS-8100 Guided Practicum

Wilmington University, Wilson Graduate Center

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Ethiopians have one of the richest, most well-preserved cultures in the world, with very

little influence from other countries. This population comprises many different ethnic groups,

including the Oromo, Amhara, Tigrai, Sidamo and Somali people. Locals have a strong identity,

passing on legends and customs from one generation to the next. Christianity is the predominant

religion, followed by Islam and other traditional animist beliefs. Both Ethiopia and Eritrea were

among the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity.

Up to 62 percent of the population is Christian, while 30-35 percent is Muslim. The

remaining 4-5 percent follows traditional religions. Traditionally, arranged marriages are the

norm. The tradition has become less and less practiced, though, particularly in an urban area. In

Ethiopia, it is common for the males family to present the females family with a dowry.

The dowry is the amount of money paid by the grooms family to the family of the

bride. The amount of the dowry depends on the wealth of both families. The dowry can include

livestock or other valued items apart from money. The elders of both families decide where the

wedding will take place. Christian ceremonies usually take place in an Orthodox church.

They also prepare the food and drink for the ceremony. Equally important, the families

will brew wine and beer, and cook the wedding food. Ethiopian wedding foods are spicy and

largely made up of meats and vegetables. Beef, chicken and lamb is eaten along with injera on

special occasions. Traditionally, the beef was eaten raw, however modern Ethiopians prefer their

meats cooked. Pork is not typically seen at an Ethiopian wedding.

Oromo people prepare for the wedding for a month before the occasion. On the

couples wedding day, relatives and guests will assemble at the brides and grooms houses. The

groom dresses for the wedding and is blessed by his relatives. He then picks up the bride from
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her house. The bride and her party meet the groom at the entrance of her home amongst beating

drums and bar him from entering until he has paid the dowry.

Amongst the Amhara people, the bride and grooms families are responsible for

arranging marriages. A civil ceremony solidifies the contract and a priest may or may not be

present. An oral contract or temporary marriage is made before witnesses. The woman will be

paid housekeepers wages during the marriage. While the wife is not eligible for inheritance, the

couples children are. While divorce is allowed in Amhara marriages, it must be negotiated first.

The populations served by my placement agency are Caucasian, Hispanic and African-

American in which Ethiopians population group is a part. The African-American are served in

significant numbers by my placement agency. I have chosen the Ethiopians population group

because I dont know much about their cultures. Human service workers, above all, must protect

their clients integrity, safety, and security. As a result, its unprofessional to have a special

interest in any population group or associate them with certain stereotypes, positive or negative.

The Ethiopians population group will be accessible to me in terms of individuals and events.

Because the personalized nature of human service professionals is held to a specific

code of ethics, it is important to know the population groups that you work with. This code is

designed to protect the rights and dignity of human service workers as well as their clients and

society, and to establish standards for their everyday practice. In this population, the extended

family remains the focus of the social system. It includes relatives on both sides of the family as

well as close friends. Quite often the husbands parents will live with the nuclear family when

they get older and can no longer care for themselves. When people marry, they join their

families, thus ensuring that there will always be a group to turn to in times of need. Individuals

achieve recognition or social standing through their extended family. A family's honor is
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influenced by the actions of its members. Family needs are put before all other obligations,

including business.

On March 12, 2017, I attended an Ethiopians Orthodox church located at 52nd and

Florence Street, Philadelphia, PA, which was a culture-specific event that targets my chosen

cultural group. As I consider my own cultural background, I think I responded to being

somewhat nervous. I was anticipating feeling that same level of prejudice just based on past

experiences. However, the Ethiopians did not seem to be bothered by it as much as I was more

superficially cognizant of the differences. I did not recognize initially that I was the only non-

Ethiopian in the building during both events due to my focus being centered on the ceremony

and the church service.

It was not until we were all going up for prayer and communion that I was more aware

of the differences. I became a little anxious about being exposed in front of everyone as being a

non-Ethiopian among the crowd. However, no one made me feel otherwise. I also wasnt sure if I

was disrespecting the elder men of the church by not having a cloth or material over my head. I

did not ask the significance and importance of this act to see if it had any type of symbolic or

spiritual meaning.

I have learned that I had a misconception about the hospitality of Ethiopians. As I

mentioned earlier, I believed that were not as accepting of anyone who was not Ethiopians

coming into their territory, church and community, asking questions about their faith. Instead this

cultural immersion experience has made me want to learn about them even the more. I have also

learned how they view and value their elderly family members. Here in the United States, the

elderly can be treated unfairly once they become dependents again.

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However, in the Ethiopians culture, they honor and respect their elders and allow them

to express themselves freely. I was truly impressed with this aspect of their culture. Another

important finding of their faith is the fact that Ethiopians believe in the Trinity: God the father,

God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They quoted scriptures from the Holy Bible. I was not

sure which translation they were using, but I researched the scriptures in the King James Version

of the Bible. The Ethiopians also impressed me with the amount of meekness gentleness they

possessed.

On March 12, 2017, after attending a Sunday worship service with my chosen

population group, I interviewed one of the churchs elders who has asked for his name to remain

anonymous. According to the elder, the things that people value in their life really depend upon

many cultural factors. As he put, age, family, education, religion, nationality, and personal

experiences will influence the things we hold dear. Moreover, the elder indicated that our

identities are formed in our culture. It then stands to reason, that migrating to a different culture

may cause someone a great deal of stress and anxiety.

Additionally, the elder indicated that culture Shock is a term used to describe the stress

and anxiety one experiences in a new culture. An individual may be forced to learn a new

language and assimilate. In addition, they may find that some of their own deeply held values

may not be equally important to their new host culture. The elder indicated that growing up in

Ethiopia, good girl qualities included being shy, conservative, and soft-spoken. However, in

American culture, the same qualities can be mistaken for a lack of confidence and self-esteem.

Young women who transition from Ethiopian culture to American culture may experience culture

shock. If their values do not line up with their new environment they may feel like they are

forced to choose.
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Continuing the interview, the elder said, most people came to America from Ethiopia

looking for a better life for themselves and their families, some who are well educated and

successful in their careers in Ethiopia. Upon arrival in America, they realized that the picture-

perfect image that media painted was far from the truth. That dream of a country where poverty

doesnt exist and where people reach success with little hard work is not the reality of America.

Most people, no matter how well educated or how experienced, will have to start all over again.

People who are willing to work hard for success may still face language barriers, value conflicts,

and discrimination. In conclusion, the elder stated that the combination of these obstacles and

culture shock can cause people to experience sadness, loneliness, anger, and frustration. These

feelings, as he puts it, bring about anxiety and stress and our thoughts and behaviors are affected.

In summary, my chosen population group has one of the richest, most well-preserved

cultures in the world, with very little influence from other countries. This population comprises

many different ethnic groups, including the Oromo, Amhara, Tigrai, Sidamo and Somali people.

Locals have a strong identity, passing on legends and customs from one generation to the next. I

have learned that I had a misconception about the hospitality of Ethiopians. As I mentioned

earlier, I believed that were not as accepting of anyone who was not Ethiopians coming into their

territory, church and community, asking questions about their faith. Instead this cultural

immersion experience has made me want to learn about them even the more.

I have also learned how they view and value their elderly family members. Here in the

United States, the elderly can be treated unfairly once they become dependents again. However,

in the Ethiopians culture, they honor and respect their elders and allow them to express

themselves freely. I was truly impressed with this aspect of their culture. Another important

finding of their faith is the fact that some Ethiopians are Christians and believe in the Trinity:
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God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Because marketplace awareness is

important to our purpose, we have chosen to modernize our name to bring it into alignment with

the scope and spirit of who we are today.

My placement agency is in Rosemont, PA a suburban community that is a 30-minute

drive from Philadelphia. The 43-acre, the tree-lined campus provides an attractive, peaceful

setting in which to experience healing and growth. The Village has embraced the Sanctuary

Model Trauma-Informed Care as an effective framework from which to help children and

families heal from traumas brought about by violence, neglect, addiction, poverty, and mental

illness.

Human service professionals are devoted to the greater good. They work closely with

individuals, families, communities, even populations, who are struggling, to help them meet their

basic human needs, solve problems, and improve their overall quality of life.

The numbers of clients from my population being served by my placement agency does

not reflect their numbers in the agency's catchment area. In the interest of fairness, clients from

my population group feel good about the quality and quantity of the programs and services
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available to them. I believe there are no unmet needs that members of the population can identify

for which no appropriate services are available.

My placement agencys programs coordinate well with other services that address the

needs of my chosen population. Equally important, my placement agency reached out to

community resources, set up linkages, and used alternative service delivery systems that are

culturally sensitive to the needs of my population. For an example, some of my placement

agencys referral sources and resources CHOP Primary Care, Cobbs Creek, American Red Cross

Membership Affiliations, the Alliance of Community Service Providers, Pennsylvania Council

on Children, Youth, and Family Services Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Main

Line Chamber of Commerce, the Sanctuary Institute and Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and

Permanency Network (SWAN).

In sum, the code of ethics, also known as the Ethical Standards for Human Service

Professionals, is a fundamental set of values that human service professionals must consider and

adhere to in their day to day work. According to the National Organization of Human Services, it

is enacted to respect the dignity and welfare of all people; promote self-determination; honor

cultural diversity; advocate for social justice; and act with integrity, honesty, genuineness and

objectivity. Human service workers, above all, must protect their clients integrity, safety, and

security. This includes the protecting the privacy of their clients and any information obtained

from the client, unless such confidentiality carries the potential to cause serious harm. Even

more, they must uphold respect for the diversity of clients, their cultures, and their beliefs. No

personal values or biases should be imposed on a client in any way or form. The Ethical

Standards of Human Service Professionals also requires that workers maintain professional and

appropriate relationships with their clients.

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Human service workers shall advocate for, develop, and participate in professional education and

training programs that advance cultural competence within the profession. Social workers should

embrace cultural competence as a focus of lifelong learning Cultural competence is a vital link

between the theoretical and practice knowledge base that defines social work expertise. Social

work is practice-oriented profession, and social work

Human service workers shall demonstrate an appreciation of their own cultural

identities and those of others. Social workers must also be aware of their own privilege and

power and must acknowledge the impact of this privilege and power in their work with and on

behalf of clients. Social workers will also demonstrate cultural humility and sensitivity to the

dynamics of power and privilege in all areas of social work.

It is important for an individual recognition and acceptance that all types of cultures

have a profound influence on our lives. Moreover, the personal awareness that oppression is

pervasive in our society must guide human service professional in service delivery process. It is

part of our history and, as much as we may want to escape that fact, it colors our relationships.

The acceptance that there are cultural differences and we need to learn to respect what we may

not always understand. Have the humility to accept that we do not know everything about other

cultures, and never will.

We, therefore, need to ascertain what it is we need to know about the specific groups

with whom we are working. willingness to pursue that information in all of the ways available to

us. When we are unable to do any of the above, having the courage to identify and confront our

personal resistance, anger, and especially, our fears.

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References:

Berhanu, G. (2005). Normality, Deviance, Identity, Cultural Tracking and School Achievement:

The Case of Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research,

49(1), 51-82.

Barden, S. M., Shannonhouse, L., & Mobley, K. (2015). International Cultural Immersion:

Assessing the Influence of a Group Intervention on Intercultural Sensitivity for Counselor

Trainees. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 40(1), 117-141.

Choi, K. M., VanVoorhis, R. W., & Ellenwood, A. E. (2015). Enhancing Critical Consciousness

through a Cross-Cultural Immersion Experience in South Africa. Journal of Multicultural

Counseling and Development, 43(4), 244-261.

Shannonhouse, L., Barden, S., & Mobley, A. K. (2015). Qualitative Outcomes of a Homestay

Immersion with Critical Reflection. Counselor Education and Supervision, 54(4), 302-

319.

Walton, J., Paradise, Y., Priest, N., Wertheim, E. H., & Freeman, E. (2015). Fostering

Intercultural Understanding through Secondary School Experiences of Cultural

Immersion. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), 28(2), 216-

237.