The elements that are often considered to be important aspects of culture are, Symbols: anything used to stand for something else, symbols represent important things and add a specific meaning to an object. For example on your 21st you quite often get given a key which is a symbol into your adulthood and a celebration of your life so far. The second aspect of culture mentioned was language: language is a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people, many examples of language are eye contact, body language, speaking, dancing and written. The third aspect of culture that was discussed was Values: Values are culturally defined standards for what is good or desirable, it decides what is good and bad. An example of a value is honesty, when you or your family value honesty, you ensure that you always tell each other the truth, instead of lying you face up to the truth and fix your mistakes. The last aspect of culture discussed was norms: norms are culturally defined expectations of behaviour, they are guidelines used to determine how we should behave in a situation, an example of a norm is washing your hands after you go to the toilet. 

Some norms that i know and follow are washing my hands after going toilet, saying thank you after eating a meal someone has cooked for me, standing to the left hand side of an escalator so that people can pass, after burping say pardon me, when someone sneezes i say bless you. Some mores that i know about and follow would be not driving at 130km i follow the speed limit,i wouldn't go out dressed without any pants on or highly revealing clothing, and i wouldn't break into or steal from someone. 

Something i had not previously considered in relation to the concept of culture is the differences in all symbol, language, norms and values between cultures, just like was mentioned in the video clip that within our culture it is a sign of respect to look someone in the eyes when talking to them, but in different cultures that would be highly disrespectful and an invasion of privacy. I believe this is apart of my professional life as i need to be aware of these culture differences within the children and whānau at my centre, to ensure i don't accidentally culturally insult anyone.

Belief: these are ideas or principles that are accepted as true, one belief I have is that all you have in the world is your word and your name. This comes down to if you say your going to do something then do it and your name will remain good and people are more likely to trust you. However, if you don’t keep your word then that tarnishes your name and people will no longer trust you. By doing what you say it upholds the trust that parents place in you when they leave their children in your care. 

Tradition: these are processes that are passed down from generation to generation. On my dads’ side when we have a family member pass away, we hold a form of tangi. The deceased will always return either home or to a family members home to be surrounded by family until they are either buried or cremated. During this time, they are never left alone and all photos of people still living are removed from the room.  During the service we will wear coloured clothing in celebration of their life. Our way of saying good bye to our loved ones does have elements of a traditional tangi, however we have adapted it to suit our family. When attending other tangis or funerals I have to be aware that other families and cultures say good bye to their loved ones differently to ours and need to ensure that I respect that and follow their traditions.

Customs: these are social practises carried out by a certain group of people, a custom that my family has is that when we greet each other we will always give each other a hug and a kiss on the cheek. This is not something that all families do nor is it something that is considered acceptable to do when meeting someone for the first time, so I have to be aware of this and adapt to the environment I am in for it to be culturally accepted. 

Values are standards or benchmarks for behaviour, 

A value of mine would be teamwork. My understanding of culture is that not everyone would value team work as much as they value independence. 

A custom is a behaviour practiced within a social group. 

Custom I practice would be taking my shoes off in peoples houses. Often people tell me not to worry about taking my shoes off but as it is a custom I have grown up with I always do. Some people might prefer I keep my shoes on.  

An understanding or judgement of something normally what is right or wrong. 

Belief A belief of mine would be that we need to look after our natural world and resources. I feel this is a widespread belief over New Zealand as a country and we have a culture of keeping things green. This influences my awareness for culture as I know that not all people and potentially other cultures don’t have the same feeling of obligation to the land. 

Traditions are customs that are passed down between generations and are ongoing. 

Tradition that I could think of that has been for many generations is christmas. For me growing up this was something I thought everybody celebrated the same way with the same belief system. My understanding of culture now is a lot broader and I know that not everybody celebrates this Christian holiday.