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Chapter 1: What is meant by Intercultural Communication?

Before reading the first chapter of Among Cultures, I thought that I had a good idea of what culture and communication are on their own, but not necessarily together. After reading it, however, I realized that culture is a very broad term that can be hard to define, and my idea of it was only a small portion of what it actually is. There is low culture, high culture, and a number of other aspects that all contribute to the idea of “culture.” In this chapter, titled “What is meant by intercultural communication?,” the authors give their definition of what culture and communication are, but also explain how culture impacts communication in different places and among different groups of people. They also dispute stereotypical ideas of culture, such as it being equivalent to race, ethnicity, or nationality. I like the idea that culture is “the impact of environment on what people know.” This takes away race and ethnicity, making it clear that culture is not to do with blood or skin color, but the environment and people that one grows up around and learns from. This is clearly a more accurate definition, since someone who grows up in Hawai’i, would have a completely different sense of culture than if that same person had been born in Alabama.

I found the idea of systems slightly confusing, but I do understand that each culture has a different set of systems and therefore different ways of going about their everyday lives. American’s for example, have a much different system than the Spanish do, but neither can be considered right or wrong, as is demonstrated by the equations in the book that don’t seem to add up correctly. As I have noticed both from living in Spain and talking to classmates who have returned from studying abroad, adjusting to different systems and a different culture is not easy, and most people do not like it. Though I adjusted well, it was also my second time living in Spain and having to adjust to their cultural differences. For those who had never been there before, I can see why they had a much harder time getting used to it, and why they prefer American systems, since it is their dominant culture.

Though communication differs throughout all cultures, according to this chapter there are two features of communication that are universal, these are interdependent and situational communication. Interdependent communication essentially means that communication depends on the people involved. One can try to have the same conversation with two different people, but they will never be exactly the same. This is because each person thinks differently and independently, and will react uniquely to different conversations and situations. Situational communication has more to do with the context of when and where something is said. In the text they use the phrase “I love you, too” to demonstrate the way it can mean several different things depending on the situation. This made me think about a number of phrases that I say in english, that would mean many different things depending who I am talking to, and also how the same can be said for Spanish. This is a universal aspect of communication that is evident in all cultures.

When talking about intercultural communication as a whole, “we are referring to interactions where the symbolic resources, norms, assumptions, and expected outcomes are not shared by all the parties involved (19).” This means that the different parties involved may interpret the situation or conversation differently, depending on their own cultural differences. If a conversation occurs between an American, a Spaniard, and someone from Asia, they may all end up with different interpretations of the situation. One of the most important things I took away from this reading, that I think everyone has been guilty of at some point, is oversimplification and overgeneralization. When studying intercultural communication it is essential not to assume that everyone from the same culture interprets things the same way or shares the exact same values. This is evident when looking at our own culture. Though all Americans are Americans, we often see things in completely different ways and have different forms of communicating.

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Chapter 2: What is the relationship between communication and culture?

Chapter 2 of Among Cultures is titled, “What is the relationship between communication and culture?” At first I couldn’t tell what the difference between this and the first chapter would be, but after reading it I learned the relationship between culture and communication is just part of intercultural communication. Without understanding what the relationship between these two things is, there is no way to fully understand intercultural communication.

Though different, the story of Linda and Wanida reminds me a bit of the way my intercambio and I communicated at first in Spain. Though we got along well, I was not as confident with my spanish as I was towards the end of the trip, and his English was very bad. He would often send me voice messages in Spanish, which is very common in Spain, but I wasn’t used to it and would reply back with a text since it was easier to make sure that what I was saying made sense. Sometimes he would invite me out and I found out later, once we had grown closer, that when I responded with a text it seemed like I didn’t like him, especially when I told him I was busy. I explained that we don’t send voice messages in the states the way they do in Spain, and we began to talk about how the Spanish communicate differently than Americans. Whether it’s using whatsapp instead of iMessage, sending voice messages instead of texting, or responding after midnight, we found that our communication styles were very different. Until reading these first chapters I had almost entirely forgotten about this conversation, but it is actually very relevant to this topic.

What I learned from this chapter is that some of these differences in communication have to do with manifestations of culture. Three common ones are explained in the book as worldviews, values, and norms. Due to our own unique worldview, both my intercambio and I had trouble grasping why the other would communicate in such a way. Because of the different environments we grew up in, we both were unable to see the other’s differences as normal at first. One of the big differences in our worldviews that affected our communication was that one of us was accustomed to a polychronic culture, and the other a monochronic. Though I am considered somewhat monochronic at home, I am fairly good about arriving on time, and if not I recognize that I’m late. My intercambios sense of time was even worse than mine, and I think he would have infuriated a lot of people in the states by showing up as late as he tended to. The more time we spent together, however, the more I think we both mutually helped expand our worldviews so that we weren’t so narrow minded. Additionally, spending so much time with him and being immersed in Spanish culture altered my own sense of time, and it has not been the easiest transition adjusting back to a polychronic culture.

According to this chapter, values are beliefs about the way the world should be, while worldviews are assumptions about the way the world is. I think that values and worldviews both play a critical role in communication, but even after reading this chapter I don't fully understand the nuances between the two. Thinking about it as beliefs vs. assumptions is very helpful, but then I wonder why worldviews are sometimes referred to as value orientations when the two definitions seem to contradict each other. This is something that we could discuss further in class to clear up the confusion.

Norms are less abstract than worldviews and values because they are essentially social rules for what people should and shouldn’t do. They are also unpredictable, however, since two cultures that both value politeness could have very different ideas of what polite is. This is another thing I noticed that was different in Spain. A lot of Americans tend to say “Oh, I’m gonna be busy but I’ll do my best to make it,” but then end up not showing. This is what a lot of us think to be a polite way of saying you probably won’t come, but when I did this in Spain my intercambio just thought I was flakey. It seemed to me that he thought it was more polite to just tell him point blank that I wouldn’t be there. This may not just be a cultural disparity, and could just be attributed to personality traits, but nonetheless it shows how norms can be seen in different ways when communicating with someone from another culture.

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Chapter 3: How can we learn about our own and others’ cultures?

I found chapter 3 of Among Cultures to be particularly interesting because it relates to the way that we learn and how different methods of learning can differ in their effectiveness. Reading the story of la llorona made me think about the way that many cultures use narratives and storytelling to teach valuable lessons. When I was taking a Native American history class, I learned that this is especially true within their culture. Native Americans have oral traditions that have been used for hundreds of years to teach the new generations about their history, the connections between the past, present, and future, and to strengthen tribal and familial bonds. The lessons learned through these oral histories and stories are invaluable to the Native American culture, and to them these traditions are equally, or more effective than the methods used by Americans. For a long time, westerners believed that these oral traditions were ridiculous and as a result they classified the Natives as unintelligent, but in reality these westerners were just ignorant to the ways in which different cultures learn. Because they were unable and unwilling to learn about native culture, huge conflicts and tensions arose resulting in years of violence. This is just one example of why it is important to be well educated about cultural differences and to not just learn about other cultures, but appreciate that they might have different methods of learning than we do.

In regards to one of the reflection questions in this chapter, “What is something you feel you have really learned well? How did you learn it? Why do you think you learned it so well?,” I think my efforts to learn spanish are very relevant. Just as the medical students learn better when they are applying what they learn to real life scenarios, rather than just studying for a test, I was able to learn Spanish much easier when thrown into an environment where I was forced to, rather than trying to learn it from a book. Before I went to Spain for the first time when I was 10, I took Spanish lessons for weeks and hardly learned a thing. Though my first month or two in Spain was a nightmare, I began adapting to my situation and using little things I had learned to build off of and learn more and more. Eventually I was able to put sentences together and communicate with my classes, and this allowed me to join in with them at recess and make friends. Once I got that far the rest was easy, and by the end of the semester I was able to talk with my friends for hours without feeling such a huge communication barrier. In this way I was also able to learn more about their culture and customs, whereas learning both language and culture from a book would not have been nearly as effective.

People don’t always think about learning as having to do with culture, but it is actually a universally important aspect of culture. Learning about how other cultures learn can help us more fully understand the way that these other cultures function, helping us become less ignorant and more knowledgeable global citizens.

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Chapter 4: How is culture related to our identities?

I have always considered culture a fundamental part of everyone’s identity, but this chapter taught me just how culture fits into and helps shape our identities. As explained in the text, identity is “the image by which we recognize ourselves and others” and is an important part of every interaction whether it’s between others that share the same culture, or with people who come from different cultures. I found the story about the Native Americans “razzing” to be very interesting because though it is described as being distinct to native culture, I think that it is actually more universal than we think. Just as Native Americans come from different tribes, in Hawai’i almost everyone is multi ethnic and because of that, we often poke at each other's differences in a similar way that the native americans “razz.” My japanese friends will often joke with my korean and filipino friends about their cultural differences and mannerisms, while all my local friends will tease each other about stereotypes that they may or may not fit into. Though it is a different dynamic, I think that any culture that has a lot of subcultures, such as Native Americans and those raised in Hawai’i, have a certain way of communicating that not only displays their own identity, but also helps to create it.

I also found the discussion about personal and social identities interesting, but also a little confusing. I have never really thought of identities as having two categories, but this concept opened my mind to it. Personal identity is “the way we perceive ourselves and others as unique,” while a social identity refers to “the perceived role or communal memberships we and others have.” This is very thought provoking for me because ultimately, the way I perceive my own identity is not the same as what others might perceive about me. Though my personal identity can only be fully understood by myself, my social identity, associated with being a student, friend, athlete, brother, or whatever it might be, is more easily understood by those around me and affects how they perceive my identity. This is not to say that my personal identity is not seen by others, as a lot of people know me well and understand my personality, but what shapes their perception of me is a combination of these two types of identities. Though this whole concept is a little confusing to me, I understand that everyone uses our perception of others to compare and contrast our personal and social identities. This is what makes us unique and perceive others as unique, because we actively compare them to ourselves even if we do it subconsciously.

This all connects to the way that we communicate with one another. As a result of our personal and social identities, we all have expectations in regards to roles and communication, both for ourselves and others. According to the text, communication both “reflects our identity and is constitutive of it.” Our identities help shape our expectations of one another and our perceived understanding of each other. Though this can often result in misconceptions and stereotyping, it is still a fundamental part of how we communicate and understand one another.

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Reflection 5: Where can we look to explain verbal misunderstandings?

Chapter 5 of Among Cultures examines the issue of verbal misunderstandings in relation to intercultural communication. Verbal misunderstandings often occur between members of different cultures because of differences in values, practices, and norms. The example in the book tells the story of Fred, who’s resume is heavily questioned because it fits the ideals of resumes in the West rather than those of the Japanese. They worry he is going to be a stuck up and egotistical person until Mallory explains that this is normal where he comes from. This is why it is important to understand context, and how certain things can come off much differently than one would expect when taken out of their own cultural context. This chapter in particular emphasizes the importance of “learning the cultural knowledge necessary to engage in meaningful communication by attending to how language is used in practice” (133). If Fred had done this, he would have formatted and written his resume in a way that would fit the norms of Japanese resumes, and in turn he would have seemed like a much better fit to those reviewing his application.

A much more casual example of this might be Americans and English mixing up the word “football.” I visit my grandparents in England quite often and have to switch from saying soccer in the U.S. to football when I go there. I know that this is an important cultural difference so I am fairly conscious about it, but many Americans who visit England continue to use the word soccer or will use the word to talk about American football without considering that the same word is used for soccer in the U.K. This angers the British, but they also make the same mistake. When my Grandad first visited my family in Hawai’i he came to one of my soccer games and referred to it as football the entire time he was here. When he told people that I played well in my football game, many of our family friends thought I had begun playing American football, but it was in fact just a verbal misunderstanding. This is a much less serious example than Fred’s, but it still shows the ways that people can often misunderstand each other due to cultural differences.

Being from Hawai’i, but also having family from China, England, and the mainland United States has made me fairly conscious about cultural differences. When I first came to Oregon it was the first time I really had to change the way I speak. I had to do so in England as well but I was never there for such a long period of time. When I arrived in McMinnville for the first time, however, people immediately started questioning things that I would say. These words or phrases seemed entirely normal to me, but clearly nobody else had heard them before. In Hawai’i we say “choke” to mean “a lot” or “plenty,” but that confuses people here. Instead of saying “ho brah” I began saying “Damn.” And instead of saying “shoots!” to my friends, I started saying “see you later!” The change was very sudden and kind of weird for me, but now that I’ve been living in Oregon for 3+ years I feel more accustomed to it. Even still, when I go back to Hawai’i and see my friends I immediately switch back to my local slang. The differences in communication even just between different dialects of English is very strong, so thinking about verbal misunderstandings between cultures and languages that are even more different is interesting. I know that I must have run into some verbal misunderstandings while I was in Spain but sometimes they are hard to recognize unless someone points them out to you.

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Reflection 6: Where can we look to explain nonverbal misunderstandings?

This chapter of Among Cultures dives into nonverbal misunderstandings, another type of misunderstanding that may occur during intercultural communication. Similar to verbal communication, nonverbal communication is “interdependent with the context in which [it] occurs” (199). One of the primary forms on nonverbal communication is kinesics, which refers to body movement and facial expressions. This type of communication is central to all of our daily interactions and can often cause the most significant misunderstandings. In some countries facial expressions or body postures that are polite in other countries may have an entirely different meaning. This is why it is important to understand the context in which they are being used. As we have learned in class, shaking your head might mean no in most countries, but in others it can actually be considered a sign of approval. Reading this chapter has made me realize how important it is to research different cultures if you are planning to visit or interact with them in order to avoid basic misunderstandings such as these.

Other important factors in nonverbal communication include personal space, attire, smell, and time. Living in Spain I learned that time has a much different meaning in polychronic cultures than in monochronic ones like ours. Being a few minutes late is seen as normal, whereas in the United States most people take timing and deadlines quite seriously. Our perception of time plays a big role in our communication, both verbal and nonverbal. In the U.S. most people consider it rude to call past 9 or 10 pm, but in Spain most don’t have dinner until about 10pm and therefore it is perfectly fine to call at night. Their perception of time is much different than Americans and because of that the structure of their lives and culture is different. Though Hawai’i is part of the U.S., many locals also have a different sense of time than most mainlanders, which is why we have a term called “hawaiian time.” This term refers to tendencies in people from Hawai’i to be leisurely and often late to things. I am guilty of this and have felt some culture shock bouncing from Hawai’i, to Oregon, to Spain, and then back to Oregon with some trips back home in between during the holidays.

It seems to me that nonverbal misunderstandings are just as difficult, if not more difficult to avoid than verbal misunderstandings. There are so many intricacies to the way we interact without words that it can be almost impossible to make oneself fully aware of them. Most of our nonverbal communication is subconscious, and therefore requires more thought and self awareness to adapt than with verbal communication. With both, however, it is important to keep in mind that context always plays a crucial role in how our actions or words are interpreted by others, especially those from different cultures.

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Reflection 7: Attend/Organize an international multicultural event on campus or in our department. What did you experience, learn, observe?

Recently, our class had to organize a multicultural event aimed at informing first generation, bilingual, and multicultural students about the importance of studying abroad. The main themes of our presentation were the benefits of studying abroad, getting financial help to do so, and the personal and academic development that the experience creates. In order to spread the message outside of Linfield, we invited sixth and seventh grade students from Patton Middle School to attend our event. We encouraged them to study abroad once they are in college, and we talked about how our experiences left a lifelong impact on us. As a reward for them coming, we also supplied pizza and beverages!

Though we were the ones teaching the middle school students, I think we also learned a lot from the experience. Firstly, we learned about each other's stories from studying abroad and how everyone has very different experiences. Not only did we visit different countries, but we also adapted and reacted in very different ways. While some people adapt easily to their host culture, others don’t and end up experiencing culture shock. Something I learned is that I differed from some of my classmates in this sense. While some of them experienced culture shock upon arriving in their host countries, I settled in easily and ended up experiencing more of a culture shock when I returned. Another thing we learned is not enough students are aware of opportunities to study abroad, or immediately consider it impossible. Some worry about the finances of going abroad, others think of it as something out of reach or impossible, and some don’t even know that these programs exist. What we wanted to emphasize to these students is that anything is possible, and that there are plenty of resources for them to utilize if studying abroad is something that interests them. We told them about scholarships and other financial resources, and also talked about Linfield’s program and how it works.

While some students seemed interested in our stories and our presentation, others seemed more focused on the pizza. However, I think that our presentation will stick with them and hopefully remind them, once they get to college, that studying abroad is entirely possible for them. Even if they don’t think about it now, our presentation may still influence them in the coming years once they apply to college, and have to consider whether they want to pick a school with good foreign programs. This is especially important for first gen students who are not always aware of the variety of scholarships and programs offered by schools. Through our presentation we not only learned more about ourselves, but also hopefully helped the next generation of study abroad students to think about whether they would like to study in another country.

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Reflection 8: Spend an hour on campus observing how people interact with one another. Take note of both verbal and nonverbal communication. Be especially attentive to forms of cross-cultural communication.

The last couple weeks I have spent countless hours in the library studying and working on my senior projects. While taking a break from my work, I decided to spend an hour observing the way people communicate and interact with one another in order to write this reflection. Though it was not the most exciting hour I’ve ever spent, I definitely got to a few different forms of communication that relate to the topics discussed in class.

First off, there was a lot of verbal communication. Whether it was groups studying with one another, taking a break from their studying to have a conversation, or asking questions to the librarians, it seemed that there was a lot of talking going on for a place that is supposed to be quiet. Verbal communication is the most common form of communicating, involving the use of words to get messages and information across to another person or group. Any use of words in that act of self expression or communication can be considered “verbal communication.” It might seem like this is limited to speech, but verbal communication can also take the form of writing. For example, many students in the library were on their phones or computers, texting, sending emails, writing essays, all of which can be considered forms of verbal communication. Students also spent a lot of time communicating out loud. One group seemed to be working on a group project, or just studying together, but either way they were exchanging thoughts and ideas back and forth, creating a group discussion. It seemed to me that this was an academic form of verbally communicating, while other groups of students were less focused and spent time talking to one another informally about topics unrelated to their studies. Whether it is texting, discussing a project, or just socializing, all of these students were engaged in active verbal communication.

Another form of communication I saw was non-verbal communication. As students entered the library, many saw some of their friends or classmates and either waved or smiled at them. Greetings and goodbyes are probably the most common form of non-verbal communication, but there are many other forms as well. Some students were talking about how their finals were stressing them out, and pulled their hair or put their face in their palms as a signal of frustration. Even facial expressions are a form of communication. While some students seemed happy and smiled as they conversed with friends, others appeared stressed, and judging by their facial expressions they had a lot of work to do.

Unfortunately I did not see a good example of intercultural communication. This does not mean it wasn’t occurring, but it was difficult to observe and clear examples during my hour of observation. Cross-cultural communication, however, is present during almost all forms of communication and refers to communication between people who differer in age, nationality, gender, race etc. Though I was not going to eavesdrop on anyone's conversations, Linfield’s population is very diverse and it is very common to see communication between people of different races, genders, ages, and more.

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Reflection 9: Interview someone from a culture different from your own and write about the interview process as well as the content.

For my ninth reflection I decided to facetime and interview my intercambio from Spain. His name is Fran, and we talked for a while about some of the main cultural differences both between us and between our home countries. Though we were previously aware of most of these differences, having a discussion about them made us both think about them much more deeply. The first thing I asked him about was time, and how the sense of time in Spain is much different than in America. We talked about our daily routines, and he commented that his is much different from mine, not just because of the age gap but also because of the different paces of Spanish and American cultures. Because of his daily routine, which involves a late start and a long siesta, Fran stays up much later than I do, and on days that he doesn’t work he often sleeps until early afternoon. This lifestyle is much different than in America, where instead of taking a siesta, people will continue working or running errands so that they can eat and go to sleep much earlier.

Another thing we talked about is money. I once noticed that Fran almost always pays in cash, and when I asked him why, he didn’t really have a reason for it other than that it’s just normal in Spain. Sometimes I would use my card to pay for very cheap things or a drink at the bar, and he found it silly. However, this cultural difference is definitely beginning to change, especially after Covid when people began tapping their debit and credit cards instead of exchanging cash in order to prevent the spread of germs.

The other big cultural difference that I talked about with Fran is smoking. Though Fran is a nurse and doesn’t smoke that much, he still enjoys doing it socially and says that he often feels obligated to do it when all of his friends are. In America tobacco has come to be seen by the younger generation as a poison, and most people think it's gross to smoke, especially cigarettes and tobacco. In Spain, however, it is almost the opposite. If you don’t like to smoke tobacco a lot of people might see you as an outsider and it can be more difficult to integrate oneself socially. Though this is also beginning to change, as more and more people have transitioned from tobacco to vaping, as has already happened in America, tobacco is still very integrated into Spanish culture.

One of the big differences between Americans and the Spanish, and between Fran and I, is family. Though family is also very important in America, once kids move to college and get a job they often go months without visiting their parents. Here, families seem much more interconnected and people visit their parents much more frequently. Though Fran works in Sevilla, every other weekend or so he goes to visit his parents and siblings in his hometown which is about two hours away. Though my brother lives in Portland which is only about an hour away, I only see him every month or so since he works and I go to school.

Most of what Fran and I discussed in the interview were things that we already knew or had talked about before, but thinking about it on a deeper level made me realize how strong the cultural differences between certain countries really are. As a result, the people who grow up in these countries are all unique in their own ways and have adapted to the cultural norms and tendencies that surround them. When interacting with someone from another country or culture, the most important thing is not to see them as weird or different because they are accustomed to things that we are not, but to try and understand and appreciate their differences. This way we can learn from them and gain a better understanding of the many cultures that are present in the world rather than being ignorant and just focusing on our own.

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Reflection 10: Discuss your cultural and personal gains from study abroad and GLCS483 in terms of the goals of your major. Explain how these experiences enhance your preparation for employment and global citizenship. Please, consult outcomes listed in the course catalog under GLCS.

The semester I spent in Seville was not only one of the most exciting times of my life, but also one of the most impactful and developmental. Throughout the course of the semester my experiences in Spain helped to develop my language skills, my knowledge of different cultures, and also to prepare me for employment and global citizenship. As my language skills developed, it became easier and easier to learn more about the people, history, and culture of Spain. It also opened my mind to exploring other cultures, which I did through my visits to Morocco, France, the Netherlands, and England. In school, culture is often taught through textbooks or lectures, but the most effective way to learn about other cultures is to interact with them firsthand.

My firsthand experience interacting with different languages and cultures during my time studying abroad was crucial to meeting the learning outcomes of my major. For example, before going to Spain I was not a very confident Spanish speaker. After having to speak it everyday, however, I now feel like I can more effectively communicate in the language both academically and socially. Through the classes I took at the Spanish Studies Abroad center and the Universidad de Sevilla, I learned how to effectively communicate as a student, and through my experiences exploring the city and communicating with locals I improved my ability to converse and socialize in spanish.

These classes also helped me learn how to better analyze cultural and historical aspects of the culture which previously would have been difficult for me. These skills especially developed through my Cervantes course at the Universidad de Sevilla, and my Spanish Cinema course at the SSA. Through these classes I read literature and studied movies that have helped to shape Spanish culture and media. I also improved my skills of analyzing these cultural products and producing my own opinions about them. Doing this required a lot of practice, but now I can understand and interpret these products far more proficiently than I used to be able to. This is only one example of many, as I also became more conscious and in tune with other culturally important things such as music, dance, and politics.

Additionally, the processing of reflecting on my experiences has even further developed these skills, as I continue to build on them and advance on the things that I learned while abroad. Ultimately, all of these skills and experiences have helped me to develop both personally and academically, preparing me for employment and global citizenship after I graduate. Studying abroad is an experience I will always cherish, and I feel like I would be a much different person today if I had not taken that leap. The skills I have developed will stick with me throughout my life as I navigate the world, look for jobs, and interact with different people and cultures.