Cuba and Puerto Rico are two wings of the same Bird.

The world today is experiencing an ongoing interaction between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Since exposure to people of other cultures is more common everyday, intercultural communication plays an important role. The best way to communicate with other cultures is identifying their broad characteristics and understanding their general tendencies. The way people live, talk, dress, interact, eat, and express themselves is different to the next. Even though two cultures might share a lot of similarities on their background they can also display certain difference toward these characteristic. To gain a better understanding of how these characteristics are displayed in cultures of similar background, let’s analyze Puerto Rican and Cuban cultures.

When it comes to Puerto Ricans and how they feel about themselves and others varies, if one is on their own they think about themselves; they think they are important. But, when it comes to friends and family its all about them, like on holidays and parties they are very much collectivism people. They like to have fun with each other, sing, dance, and play dominos whenever they have a chance. Puerto Rican families are independent to their children; if the child is ready and could afford to move out the house it would be ok. The dating system in Puerto Rico is very low context; verbal speaking. If a couple was dating for 2-3 years that didn’t mean they are going to get married. It would have to be asked by the man and talked over; they just won’t assume they will automatically get married just because they were dating for a long time. Not so long ago I went to

Dominican Republic and a lady asked me If I had a boyfriend and I told her yes, I have been with him for a year and half now. Her respond was “Oh really! So when is the wedding?” I was confused and later she told me in her culture if you are with a guy for that long or longer that meant they are planning to stay together. Many cultures assume and imply that rule about marriage.

Cuba has both tendencies, individualistic and collectivist. Cuba has a political structure that forces its society to an extreme collectivism. The Cuban government has set up entities per block called CDR. The CDR’s are tasked to keeping a detailed record of each neighborhood’s inhabitant’s behavior and look for any counter-revolutionary activity. The purpose of this entities has changed its meaning as time has passed, giving to people the right to get involved in the affairs of others. Another example that shows traits of collectivism in Cuba is seen through its dwelling system. Since the possibility to obtain a new residence is almost none, it is usual to see different generations living in the same house. Consequently, Cuban families are likely to be cooperative, they are expected to support each other especially in the case of unfavorable events, and a personal problem is broadly debated within other family members. On the other hand, Cubans have developed an individualistic tendency that has aroused with their increasing opposition to the regimen. It seems that everyone tends to pursuit his/her freedom individually. As many other Latin American countries, Cuba has a high-context culture characteristics. High–context cultures tend to attribute behavior according to the situation or factors that are external to the person. They relay on nonverbal communication and prefer tradition over change. Cubans feel more comfortable expressing ideas by using a lot of body gestures. To illustrate, when listening to a conversation within Cubans, a person from a different culture might infer a fight is taking place; however, most of the time, said conversation has not a remarkable meaning. Cubans also tend to have a high sense of humor independently how serious is the context of the situation. Cuban culture can be mostly defined as a low-power distance culture. Cubans treat one another informally, even when two persons are not acquainted. It is also easy to see a colloquial relationship between a patient and a doctor, a student and an educationist, or an employee and a client. Since different social classes are no allowed in Cuba by Castro’s regimen, people are not usually addressed according to their qualifications, academic degrees or diplomas; they all are called “compañero.” Nevertheless, a high respect towards the elders is still prevalent. In addition, Cuban culture has difficulty dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, and diversity. Even though Cuba has a varied ethnicity, a strong feeling of regionalism is clear seen on its population. For example, people from Havana, the capital city, express certain rejection when people from Santiago de Cuba, the estern part of Cuba, come to live them.

To summarize, the best way to communicate with other cultures is identifying their broad characteristics and understanding their general tendencies. Puerto Rico and Cuba have similar backgrounds. They share a lot of similarities when it comes to their cultures. Both cultures can be mostly described as collectivistic, high-context, and implicit-rule, and it is essential to understand their tendencies before making any assumption of a Puerto Rican or a Cuban person.

Y.D.