Cultural Autobiography: A Comparison of Romanian and English Culture

This article explores the cultural differences and similarities between Romania and England through a cultural autobiography. It discusses the major influences on life, family dynamics, and uses cultural frameworks to compare and contrast the two cultures.

Cultural
Autobiography
1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
a) Use ‘Cultural Autobiography’ questionnaire create cultural autobiography identifying
major influences on life...............................................................................................................3
b) With use of Culture Autobiography questionnaire, cultural autobiography of a person that
belong to different cultural background......................................................................................3
c) Comparison and contrast of two profiles through different cultural frameworks in order to
explain differences and similarities among both cultures...........................................................4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6
APPENDIX......................................................................................................................................7
2

INTRODUCTION
Culture is determined as knowledge and characteristics of a particular abstraction of
individual, this will include several aspects such as social habit, religion, music and art
preference, language, dressing and many more (Clavier, 2020). Every nation or community has
its own culture which they need to follow as it is their tradition. Moreover culture of one nation
is similar as well as different on several aspects. The primary reason of developing this report is
to do comparison among the two cultures i.e. Romania and England. Topics that are mentioned
in this report are information about both culture Romania and England as well as it also include
questionnaire of both culture to gather information about it. Along with this report will also
include cultural frameworks for understanding difference as well as similarities among the
Romania and England culture.
MAIN BODY
a) Use ‘Cultural Autobiography’ questionnaire create cultural autobiography identifying major
influences on life
I am Daniela and I am from Romania. I was born on 15th December 1995 and we follow
Romanian culture. There are total four members in my family that include father, mother,
younger sister and me. My father was employed at the Romania based organization as well as
my mother is house maker and she help my sister in her studies as she is conducting her
education at respective place. I was born and brought up at respective place due to which their
culture highly impacted on me. According to our culture our eating habits are different such as in
breakfast we take very small meads like butter, jam and tea or coffee (Jennings, 2020). Due to
this habit I look for same kind of breakfast at the United Kingdom. We follow tradition culture of
Romania in clothing at the special occasion i.e. mean generally wear white pant, shirt, hat,
overcoat and belt as well as women wear blouse similar to the shirt of men but that is longer. We
celebrate Christmas at the wide level at which we decorate tree and celebrate.
b) With use of Culture Autobiography questionnaire, cultural autobiography of a person that
belong to different cultural background
My peer Sophia is from the England and she is 23 year old. She is very intelligent
employee as well as focus toward her goal. Currently she accomplish her master from the top
college of England and currently she is working in British multinational company. Sophia is
3

sharp minded person who conduct every work in best manner as well as he also take very quick
decision. There are six members in Sophia family i.e. grandfather, father, mother, two sister and
Sophia. According to the culture of England which is followed by Sophia they are highly focus
toward their goal as well as they are also technology friendly. The food culture of England is that
they take breakfast heavy which provide them energy to work (Johnson, 2020). Due to culture of
England every person is busy in their life so Sophia is also well planned which help her in
conducting their work in effective manner.
c) Comparison and contrast of two profiles through different cultural frameworks in order to
explain differences and similarities among both cultures
Kluckholn and Strodtbeck dimension of culture
 Nature of people – According to culture of England people belief on individualistic
social structure which means they are free to take their decision. Whereas Romanian are
lineal social structure according to which they involve in society and take everyone
perspective in decision.
 Relationship with nature – According to subjective content of Romania people they
think that individual need need must be submit to the nature. England culture believe that
an individual must work along with nature for maintaining balance and harmony.
 Duty towards others – Romanian culture belief that a person mush show their duty
towards other whereas according to England culture they believe in individualism and
show less duty toward others.
 Mode of activity – British culture is focus on activities which help them in attaining goal
where as Romanian culture focus on activities are conducted in proper manner or not.
 Privacy of space – In Romania people lives in family so their privacy is comparatively
low from the England culture (McGannon, McMahon and L'Estrange, 2020). It is so
because British people provide personal space to every person.
 Temporal orientation – According to culture of British people look toward future
whereas Romanian people focus on the present.
Edward T. Hall model
High and low context
4

The Romania as well as England people preferred low context which means they focuses
on the direct communication. This is so because that will help them in understanding information
effectively and make other understand what they want to say.
Space
British culture respect personal space of a person so everyone make distance to each other.
In respect of Romanian culture people preferred to make distance from the stranger person or
from which they not feel comfortable (Norman, 2020).
Time
Romanian culture is considered polychromic in which an individual focus on multiple
action in order to attain different objective in same time. In addition to this, culture of England
they believe in monochromic culture according to which they schedule each and every activities
so that it will accomplish in effective and timely manner.
CONCLUSION
By conducting analysis of above mentioned topics it can be conclude that culture is one
of the main aspect which represent a nation so their people follow it properly as their tradition.
There are several aspects which showcase culture of nation such as social habit, religion, music
and art preference, language, dressing and many others. While conducting the report it is
determined that there are several differences in two nation culture whereas there are also some
aspects which showcase similarities among the culture. For an individual it is essential to respect
as well as value every culture because that is tradition of that person. In order to collect
information related to different culture an individual can create effective questionnaire that
include information related to family, education, language, food and so on. There are several
cultural frameworks which an individual may adopt for determining similarities as well as
difference among two culture.
5

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Clavier, S. W., 2020. The Restoration episcopate and the interregnum: Autobiography, suffering
and professions of faith. In Church polity and politics in the British Atlantic world. c.
1635–66. Manchester University Press.
Jennings, R., 2020. Ageing, Autobiography and Remembered Music. A Senior Moment: Cultural
Mediations of Memory and Ageing. 12. p.77.
Johnson, A., 2020. Pioneer’s progress: an autobiography. Plunkett Lake Press.
McGannon, K. R., McMahon, J. and L'Estrange, M., 2020. A Cultural Perspective on Growth
Following Adversity: Using Autobiography to Understand Addiction Recovery through
Sport.
Norman, B., 2020. The Posthumous Autobiography and Civil Rights Memory. African American
Review. 53(1). pp.25-39.
6

APPENDIX
Self questionnaire
1. Provide information related to your name, age, educational and cultural heritage?
I am Daniela from Romania, I was born on 15th December 1995. In respective country I
live with my family which include 4 members including me i.e. father, mother and my younger
sister and we all follow Romanian culture. I has accomplish my education from the Romania as
well as my master course was done from University of Bucharest, Romania after that I switch
united Kingdom in order to get more successful career opportunities. According to our culture
we respect everyone and before taking any decision we conduct discussion among the family.
2. Describe about the nation in which you grow up and also explain about its culture?
I am born and brought up in Romania which is amazing as well as beauteous place that
draw attention of tourist. There are numbers of famous places at the respective nation which
showcase their culture effectively, Romania is situated at the south eastern Europe which is in
the north end of Balkan Peninsula as well as boundary line of Ukraine and Moldova to the north
Hungary that is located at the north west Serbia and Bulgaria. As compare to the culture of
Easter European region the culture of Romania is different as are still follow their traditions.
3. How many members are there in your family, where they live current and what are their
role?
In my family there are in total four members i.e. father, mother, young sister and me, they
all leave together in Romania. My father is employed at the Romanian based firm and his role is
to financially support to the family as well as he also help my sister in her studies. My mother is
housewife who maintain our home so that we all live effective life with proper sources as well as
she also help my sister in her studies. The third member of my family is young sister who is
conducting its education from respective place. Last member of family is me and I also try to
support my family financially .
4. What are the primary aspects which you learn from your culture?
There are numbers of measures that an individual learn from the Romanian culture and
those things will help them in making a successful and effective career. From my culture I learn
7

several things such as be in self discipline as that will help me in conducting every work in best
manner as well as timely way. In addition to this we also teach that be must always kind with
other so that other not feel bad due to our behaviour.
5. How Romanian culture impact on your behaviour ?
The Romanian culture highly impacted on my behaviour as through that I able to be
discipline as well as through this culture I also learn that we must respect to others because when
we give respect we get respect. The respective culture has huge impact on my life as I able to
attain my desire goal successfully. In addition to this there are several point are negative in
respect of Romanian culture i.e. in respective country there are very limited career growth option
due to which I need to shift to United Kingdom.
Colleague questionnaire
1. Provide information related to your name, age, educational and cultural heritage?
Sophia is my name and I am 23 year old girl leaving with my family at the England.
We follow culture of England which is also known as English as well as British culture. There
are numbers of beautiful place in England which showcase their culture effectively such as St.
Paul's Catherdral, The Crystal Palace and many more. There are total 6 members in my family
that include my grandfather, father, mother, two sister and me. I completed by education from
the same place as well as according to our culture we are total free to take our decision.
2. Describe about the nation in which you grow up and also explain about its culture?
I was born and brought up at the England, United Kingdom that and we follow British
culture as well as our nation has wide numbers of leading companies in all sectors that provide
huge job opportunities to the candidates at world wide level. In addition to this according to our
culture we are free to take our decision as well as we also stated work at the early stage in order
to leave our life effectively. According to our culture we are considered as people who are very
busy in their life.
3. How many members are there in your family, where they live current and what are their
role?
8

There are total 6 members in my family that include grandfather, father, mother, two
sisters and me. My grandfather retired from the army and now he is operating a retail chain in
order to support family as well as my mother is also working at the same place. In addition to
this, my father is working at the British Firm for supporting my family financially as well as he
also help my sisters in studies. My sisters are conducting their studies at the respective place and
I am working at the British Multinational organization.
4. What are the primary aspects which you learn from your culture?
The main aspects which I learn from my culture is that it is essential for a person to earn
money to live a successful and luxury life as well as according to our culture we are high focus
on our career as well as growth. Along with this, according to British or England culture every
person is free to take their own decision as well as we are also allow to work along with studies.
5. How Romanian culture impact on your behaviour ?
The respective culture highly impacted on my personality as according to our culture we
take our decision which make as more responsible as well as due to the culture I also get more
focus in my career which increase my effectiveness. I also become more competitive in nature so
that I can attain my desire goal as well as outcome successful and for that I conduct handwork.
9