Importance Of Intercultural Experiences

The first point in my theory is that you can better your skills as an interpersonal communicator by better understanding your own culture. DeVito states that there are. “several major cultural distinctions that are crucial for more effective communication” they are: individualism or collectivism, high or low context, high or low power distance, masculinity or femininity, high or low ambiguity tolerance, long or short term orientation, and indulgent or (p. 34). To be able to understand your or anyone else’s culture you must be able to understand the ways that these things affect communication. Once you understand the ways that you are oriented in these seven categories due to enculturation you can understand how you communicate and become a more effective

There are several different positive and unique aspects of intercultural relationships. Intercultural relationships allow individuals to understand other people of different cultures, ethnicities, gender and etc. It is interesting understanding other peoples beliefs as well as how they have lived there life’s. A positive aspect of intercultural relationships is the difference between the two people. I think it is interesting learning how other people think and how they were brought up. When you are in an intercultural relationship you get to understand how that person feels about certain situations that they have been through. You get to learn who that person truly is.

With the pass of years, I grew up knowing persons with a different cultural background. I got used to the physical and cultural differences, and the fact that there was always one thing in common.

Because communication between two people of different cultures is very challenging, there has been extensive research/studies conducted on this topic. This idea was also very interesting to me because I attended a highly diverse high school, in which we had a Global Studies program where international students were invited to come and learn at our school. The immersion of the different cultures was very difficult to adapt to at first because it was new to a lot of us students who have never attended a school where international students were amongst us in the halls, but as the days went on it became normal to me.

One's culture plays a big part in your values and the way you live, and also view the world. People have different points of view when it comes to the way you do things or view things. Meeting someone with a different culture will open your eyes and make you realize how much culture and diversity there actually is. Every culture has different views on every subject, and every culture has beauty within them.

I asked her if she had any recommendations on how to effectively communicate with people of other cultures. She replied that she just treats everyone as she would like to be treated, to just be herself and treat everyone the same. We discussed her answer and I agree that there doesn't have to be ways on how to interact with people of different cultures. People are people and most just want to be treated with respect.

I have lived in two different countries before moving to the United States of America; the challenging things about moving into a new country is learning the language, culture, and getting used to the new food. By the age of 15, I had learned to speak three different languages: Amharic, which is spoken in Ethiopia; Swahili, which is the native langue of Kenya, and a little bit of English. English is one of the hardest languages for me to learn and speak, because English is different from my native language in pronunciations, tone, and English has so many different words, which have the same meanings. Once I moved to the U.S.A, I had to learn how to speak English well in order to communicate with people at work, school and to socialize in the community. Attending college to learn English and other cultures is very important to me. For example, when I am attending collage, I will be meeting people from all over the world with different cultures and backgrounds. For instance, last semester I met an Indian student in my math class, she was very friendly and open indeed. She taught me a lot about her culture. The most interesting example is the one she mentioned about their wedding ceremony. The traditional wedding includes painting of the feet and hands of the bride, and this tradition is called Mehndi. Learning about her culture has allowed me to understand and appreciate the culture differences we possess. I

I am a strong believer in the more we know, the more likely we’ll make better choices. Whether if it started with a random conversation while standing in line at the grocery store or an entrance to a ball game, I know to treat everyone with respect and be open minded about others cultures. I am proud to say I am Haitian American, being multi-cultural is like having the best of both

As mentioned above, the most shocking thing I noticed was the community, or the way they socialized with and accepted themselves and each other. I think

Something interesting that lingered around in every conversation was this concept of losing who you are and your culture, what makes you unaccustomed and what you have to share with people that have different philosophies. I immediately thought of diversity, in a place like New York City it’s easy to find someone with different beliefs and live in peace without acculturation.

The saying goes “Its not what you say, but how you say it,” that makes the difference. This dictum hold true when there is a meeting of two cultural. Encountering new ideas changes the way people see themselves and of the world in which they live. Changes that result from two cultures clashing are less dependent on the information that is shared between them, but is rather a result of the circumstances of that experience. Although there are many types of cultural encounters many of them demonstrate this theory.

Cultural awareness: having an understanding and appreciation for different cultures as well as your own. Being culturally aware allows you gain more insight and increases your knowledge on the way of life in other countries. You get a different perspective and a better appreciation for other cultures thereby eliminating close-mindedness. (San Diego State University, n.d.)

Belonging to a military family has granted me the opportunity to travel around the world and interconnect with diverse people. If the truth is told, all such experiences have contributed greatly in shaping my life in a myriad of remarkable ways. Having been born into an American father and Hong Konger mother, I myself belong to a mixed culture with a diverse ethnic background; learning about various cultures and languages from the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan – my birth place. This exposure to cultural differentiation from an early age has made communication skills to be one of my greatest strengths. It is very beneficial for me since I developed the ability to engage with diverse people and initiate conversations easily even if we had just become familiar with each other. I am also very fortunate to be able to travel to different countries frequently.

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.

Component 1; A journal, in digital format, which explores personal, professional and pedagogical insights into language and intercultural learning.