Managing Differences

 

 

How easy or difficult do you think it would be to vacation in the country you have been studying for one to two weeks? To live in that country for one year or more? What challenges would you expect to face in the process of adapting to the culture in that country? Use one or two specific cultural examples from your previous blog posts to support your claims. What can you do beginning today to make cultural adaptation less difficult or troublesome? (See pp. 384-386, Managing Culture Shock and Enhancing Acculturation)

 

•  It wouldn't be that difficult to vacation in Iceland since most of the population knows how to speak English, and I can communicate with individuals I may interact with while I am there. As I have mentioned in my blog posts, Iceland welcomes newcomers; they always will help others and are the friendliest. It would be a fantastic opportunity to live in the country I have chosen to study, mainly because I have seen all the beautiful pictures online from Iceland and all the beautiful natural scenery and got to know the people. The challenges I could face in Iceland would be remembering their customary norms and also being able to read someone's body language to make sure that I have not said anything that could offend someone—remembering all the little things, such as always greeting everyone you see in the streets every if you don't know them and constantly referring to someone by their last name, just little things like these that I would likely forget here and there.

 

•  Thinks What I could do today to make cultural adaptation a little easier is that I now have a pretty good understanding of Iceland's "cultural awareness," as mentioned in our textbook. I have also been able to research the country I have been focusing on, and I have learned so much about Iceland these last several weeks. I may feel inadequate and gloomy and possibly even become homesick since I won't know anyone when I first arrive. Still, I am sure I will make friends quickly, which would help me get more customized to Icelandic ways and social norms. I am super grateful that I won't face a language barrier like many people do when they visit a country for the first time.

 

Discuss the components of intercultural ethics as discussed on pp. 403-406 in your text. How can you begin to internalize these ethical components so you can apply them during future intercultural exchanges?

 

•  Chapter 11 provides excellent information regarding intercultural ethics. The first key point is to be more thoughtful or, like our textbook states, "mindful" and be very careful about what we speak and what comes out of our mouths when it comes to intercultural messages or even communication because, in some cultures, some words or phrases have a whole different meaning compared to others. It can be seen from a good point of view or incorrectly, depending on how the word or phrase is used. The second key point is to be respectful toward other individuals and seek commonalities. We must be critically careful when speaking to others regarding their cultural and social norms and respect those norms and laws that have also been established, such as the "United States Declaration of Human Rights." I want to use this direct quote from our textbook from page 404 "DeGenova points out that "Stripping away surface differences will uncover a multiplicity of similari- ties: people's homes, aspirations, desire to survive, search for love and need for family—to name just a few." As we can see from the quote, even though we may come from different backgrounds, we may have more similarities than we think with other individuals within a cultural, ethical perspective or, in other words, point of view.

 

One of the obstacles to effective intercultural communication is our tendency to seek out others with whom we share similar outlooks, habits, and traits. While it may not be possible for you to visit the country you have been studying this semester, what strategies can you employ to engage with your selected culture while remaining right here in the United States.

• The strategies that I could possibly use to engage in the country that am studying this semester from within the United States would be that I could keep my blog open and continue update each time. I learn new information from my country of study if able to I would like to add my blog to my personal social platforms so that I can reach other students and interact with them from Iceland. So that in a way can get some feedback from them regarding my blog and everything that I have learned so far from Iceland throughout the semester. Other strategies I would in force would be that I would download an app called Duolingo that helps individuals like me learn the basic terminology of another country in my case it would Icelandic. Even though most of the residents speak English in my country of study I would love to learn to speak their native language.  

 

References: 

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., Roy, C. S.  (20160101). Communication Between Cultures, 9th Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version].  Retrieved from vbk://9781305888067