To learn from another that is not like you, that is from another country, gives you the opportunity to acquire knowledge that opens your eyes and lets you better understand the world around you. That can definitely be said after conducting my interview for the Cross-Cultural Interaction Report. I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Blanchefort Djimsa, a Food Science major, who is from the country of Chad which is located in Central Africa. Blanchefort is from the city of Moundou, the third largest city, which is in the South of Chad. Here on scholarship, he is attending Oklahoma State University to further his education. Blanchefort told me about his country and gave me a different perspective about Chad. From the Saharan desert in the North, to the savannah plains in the central region, to the more fertile soil and rivers that feed into Lake Chad in the Southwest, Chad is the fifth largest country in Africa. According to the World Fact Book “the country is comparatively slightly 3 times the size of California”. With two seasons, the rainy season from late April to September (depending on the length of the rainy season which can vary), and the summer season for the rest of the year, Chad is home to around 11.5 million people. With a growing population the country has mostly a younger generation. With almost half the population being under 18 years of age. The majority of the population is girls/women. Women also have a higher life expectancy then men living to
Chad is an incredible country that has faced many struggles to rise up since achieving independence. Located in Central Africa, Chad is a geographically diverse country with a tropical south, barren deserts in the north, broad arid plains in the center and mountains like Emi Koussi in the northwest which makes up Chads 1.284 million sq km. Chad is full of different cultures and religions, most of Chadians are Muslim, Catholic, protestant or animast. As well as 129 languages including French, Arabic, and Sara. Chad uses its distinct geographical location to attain natural resources such as petroleum, uranium, kaolin, fish, gold, limestone, sand and gravel for its population of 11,412,107. Though Chad is rich in natural resources, the
Chad – landlocked country in Central Africa.[1] It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the "Dead Heart of Africa". Chad is divided into three major geographical regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanese savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second largest in Africa. Chad's highest peak is the Emi Koussi in the Sahara, and N'Djamena, the capital, is the largest city. Chad is home to over
The transfer of knowledge in an intercultural environment has been very valuable for me. The exchange with people from different cultures challenged me to change my perspective
fter the interview I conclude that there are many things about beliefs and cultures I don’t know
Cross-Cultural engagement is a process of learning to interact and communicate effectively with individuals in another culture. Engagement implies a dynamic, two-way process of communicating with individuals in the host culture, rather than simply learning about them from a distance. It also suggests active learning while crossing into another culture. Why is cross-cultural engagement important in a mission? In the Bible we see the twelve disciplines go on mission to spread the Gospel. Jesus sent them on mission in groups with instructions. We, in today’s era also need set of instructions or need to know how to go on missions in other than our culture. It is a difficult and humungous task to carry out. One need to first know what their mission is and how to pursue their calling. My most favorite learning from this class is the work of Holy Spirit in a mission. Sunquist writes and explains about it very beautifully. He says, ‘Christian mission is not a project or a function of the local church.’ It is very important, in the first place, not to make false assumptions about a mission. Firstly, we need to clear our heads, realize and confess in our hearts that we are working for God’s mission, not for a church or any organization. Secondly, we should discern and ask for help from the Holy Spirit to help and guide us through the mission that Holy Spirit has chosen for us. Cross-cultural engagement is led by the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4 ‘And they were all filled with
This cultural interview was conducted with BT with his permission to participate in this cultural interview. I explained to the interviewee that his name would be de-identified and his initial would be used instead to protect his identity and his emotional security. The length of the interview was not as long as I hope to be, as he was getting ready for his son’s birthday party right after the interview. However, the follow-up questions were made in person to fill some of the gaps that were not asked during the recorded session. BT is a 45 year-old Caucasian male who resides in the neighborhood where the interviewer resides. He described himself as a “typical White guy,” and a question instantaneously arose in my mind. I have learned over the
Culture communication comes together to symbolize both our differences and similarities and it connects us when we come from the same cultures, and divides us when we come from different. On September 12, I interviewed my fellow classmate Leon Elkins. Low context culture is where Leon is from. First, Leon speaks with complete honesty and considers himself shy. Leon exemplified being very honest when I asked him if he had free time in his schedule and he said: “absolutely not” because his priorities consist of work and being a full time student. Leon doesn't approve of anyone stepping into his personal space he told me. Leon also only trusts certain people and not everyone right away. Confusion was my initial reaction after learning more about
We live in a multicultural society. Whether you have to go to school, work or attending public events you are constantly interacting with other ethnics. There are three main factors to bridge the gap between cultures. They are desire, knowledge and skill. This article instructs how to gain all three. You must first start with self-discovery. Understanding who you are as a person helps you identify with a wider range of people. Next step is to learn about other cultures. Take courses, learn the language, see plays, or go to concerts. Do whatever encourages you to learn different cultures. Lastly, reach out to people. By completing this step you break down social barriers and expand your horizon.
Chad is the biggest of Africa’s 16 landlocked nations measuring 495,755 square miles slightly larger than three times the size of California. Chad is located deep in the heart of Africa and is surrounded by 6 countries. Officially known as the Republic of Chad, the country is also called the ‘Dead Heart of Africa’ due to its closeness to the deserts (WorldMaps.com). According to the CIA World Fact Book, the GDP of Chad is was estimated to be $29.53B USD in 2014, the population is estimated to be 11,631,456 in 2015 and 40.2% are considered to be literate. Over 65% of the population is under the age of 25 (CIA.gov). The population of Chad is extremely diverse and has over 100 different languages, consists of 120 different ethnic groups, and religions.
This term paper focuses on different types of relationships, be it personal, professional or marital, between people from different cultural backgrounds. The objective of this paper is to list out the ways in which to have a healthy relationship between people who are so different from each other. This has a major significance in today’s world as people are beginning to accept each other on a wider basis across nations and as a result there comes a situation where you have to interact with different kinds of people.
The French establishment of the Organisation of Internationale de la Francophonie was their resistance to outside cultural influence. The French believed that globalization will threaten cultural diversity and that American culture will have an adverse effect on French culture. The preservation of French language was a way to retain it cultural identity in the world and not be pushed to a homogeneous world culture. More specifically France was resisting American culture. The French had the notion that America was this “financial and intellectual imperialism that grabs consciousness, way of thinking, way of living” (136). Even though, France resistance to globalization was strong; it could not escape the influence of outside culture.
In addition to cultural difference another aspect that should be considered is cross cultural relationships. This may sound like an opportunity to get a date, but it is actually a chance to develop a great relationship with your student in a class setting. Cross cultural relationships change from country to country so you will have to adjust to the culture and explore more option than the one’s provided for you in this section (Axner, 2016).
According to my experiences and different sources of theories, the challenges aside from languages which we have faced in communicating with people from a different country are dialects and complicated term, nonverbal languages, and languages disabilities. The first challenge we have confronted in communication with people from a different country is dialects. Each country consists of several regions which might have diverse dialects and complex terms, consequently it is difficult for non-native person, who don’t completely understand that languages to interpret the real meaning. Therefore, dialectical diversity can be a cause of misunderstanding and gaps between communication. Another barrier aside from different languages communication is
In any community, as in everyday life, many challenging issues can arise. In intercultural communities a large portion of these challenging issues are in some way, related to two-forms of racism. Our book notes that racism could be self-imposed due to low feelings of self-worth or a feeling of helplessness. This is called internalized racism(Oetzel, p.293). The second type, institutionalized racism, stems from the in-group. When a majority feels superior or uses acts rejection towards the minority the racist remarks are considered institutionalized. Often both forms of racism occur in the community. Unfortunately, several social and cultural factors reinforce these negative treatments of other and several actions must be taken to address
Since the development of technology, travelling and communication has become extremely easy and common. Interaction with anyone from any part of the world is possible at anytime from anywhere. Cell phones, internet, television and other technological devices allow us to interact and communicate with the whole world with just a click of a button. Because of these rapid technological advancements, we can now understand and interact with people from various cultures and backgrounds.