- A: Who's that boy?
B: Which boy? Are you talking about the boy who's wearing the striped shirt or the
boy who has on the T-shirt?
A: I'm not talking about either one of them. I'm talking about the boy who just
waved at us. Look. Over there. Do you see the kid that has the red baseball cap?
B: Sure. I know him. That's A1 Jordan's kid. His name is Josh or Jake or Jason. Nice
kid. Did you wave back? - Hioki is fbm Japan. When he was sixteen, he spent four months in South America. He
stayed with a family who lived near Quito, Ecuador. Their way of Life was very dierent
from his. At first, many of the thii they did and said seemed strange to HiroK: their
eating customs, political views, ways of expressing emotion, work habits, sense of humor,
and more. He felt homesick for people who were like him in their customs and habits.
As time went on, Hiroki began to appreciate the way of life that his host family
followed. Many of the things he did with his host family began to feel natural to hi.
He developed a strong bond of friendship with them. At the beginning of his stay in
Ecuador, he had noticed only the things that were diierent between his host family
and himself. At the end, he appreciated the many things they had in common as
human beings despite their differences in cultural background.- Many of the problems that exist today have existed since the beginning of recorded
history. One of these problems is violent conflict between people who come from
different geographical areas or cultural backgrounds. One group may distrust and fear
another group of people who are different from themselves in language, customs,
politics, religion, andlor appearance. These irrational fears are the source of much of
the violence that has occurred throughout the history of the world.
358 CHAPTER 12