Reflective Journal: Cultural Differences and Intercultural Learning

This assignment presents a student's reflective journal entries exploring the multifaceted aspects of intercultural communication. The journal is divided into three parts, each focusing on different facets of cultural interaction. Part A delves into the concept of culture, the challenges of adapting to new cultural environments, and the significance of intercultural learning. Part B examines the impact of assumptions and language barriers in cross-cultural interactions, illustrated through a video example. The student reflects on the importance of cultural intelligence and effective communication. Part C discusses the challenges and rewards of communicating with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, highlighting the role of language, differing beliefs, and the process of adapting to new societal norms. The journal emphasizes the importance of open-mindedness, patience, and the development of enhanced communication skills. The student reflects on how these experiences have impacted both their personal and professional life.

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
ENTRIES

PART A
Feeling like a fish out of water
A set of values, tradition, shares, beliefs, practices etc. can be defined as culture and
when there is difference in these beliefs and practices its known as cultural difference (Samovar
and et.al., 2014) In our normal life we hardly pay any attention to our culture but when we are
required to go outside of this and have to adjust in totally new environment. Then only we realize
the importance of our culture. Adapting to new culture or settling in totally different culture
make you feel like fish out of water. It throws people out of their comfort zone and make them
adjust to beliefs and value that are totally new and different to them (Wagner, 2016)
These types of changes give birth to intercultural learning where a person get
acquaintance with different culture and interact with people of different culture than ours.
Intercultural learning is highly appreciated now nowadays it helps person to learn totally new
culture and improve their social skills.
Adapting to new culture or identity is not easy. It became very difficult for a person to
discard whatever they have learned till now and adapt completely different beliefs and view.
What happen most of the time is that people are unable to let go of their culture they keep
holding their own views and beliefs that it become really hard for them to adjust to new people
and their culture. But there are also few times when people lost their identity in this hustle bustle
and chaos of culture many people completely forget their basic culture and adapt to new culture.
In midst of all this there are also people who adapt themselves the best they do not completely let
go of their culture and also accept some trends of the new society and culture this help them in
understanding the values and beliefs of other culture and it also becomes easy for them to adjust
in new place society and culture (Almond and Verba, 2015)
There is also positive side to this through this many people from different culture come
together to share their beliefs and views, these create better harmony and relationship. It helps
people to come out from there comfort zone and experience something new that can be
beneficial for them.
This article helped me in getting better understanding of people living in diverse culture.
By reading this article I came to know about different problem people occurring with the change
in culture it also gave me brief glance in their life and made me realize how difficult it would
have been for them to adjust to totally new culture which make them uncomfortable. It helped

me in enhancing my knowledge of intercultural and problems faced by many people in order to
adjust with the changing culture and different beliefs. I also came to know about different
advantages of inter culture and why it’s being promoted in current time. Through this I came to
learn about the best way through which I can adjust in new society with different culture it also
helps me in getting professional advantage as it makes be easy for me to adjust in new place
without loosing my identity.
PART B
Assumption of other
Watching the video, I remember an incident my friend told me he also has gone through
same experience through this video he has also gone trough same experience which the lady in
video experienced. I realize how important role language play in communication and
understanding of different culture, lack of proper communication can cause lots of
misunderstanding and create wrong assumption about people. I also realized that how
community disregard the background culture and birth of person and assume there culture and
identity basis on there looks. In video the origin of lady was Korean but she was born and
brought up in Santiago and has accepted there culture as one of its own But most of the time
people forget about that and made an assumption that they are different from them. This shows
that people how people directly assume the culture of people on the basis of there looks and even
after telling them about there background they are reluctant to accept that. It shows that there is
need to create awareness regarding the intercultural and cultural difference. Culture doesn't mean
the culture of your parents or great parents but your very own where you have born and what
belief and practices you have adopted and has great impact on your mind and view just because
the lady's origin was Korean doesn't mean that her culture is also Korean (Yancey, Robertson
and Taczak, 2014). From starting she was clear about the place from where she belongs her
culture and background. These not the problem of one person but many people assume the
culture of people without getting any knowledge about them
Through this I have to come to know about the new side of inter culture especially of
those people who had settled and born in other countries and accepted there culture as one of its
own, and how people are still reluctant to accept them as part of their society.

After watching that video, I have learned that cultural intelligence and communication
plays very significant role in order to create understanding between two people. In this video two
people were communicating with each other, they were not having cultural knowledge other than
that language was the major issues which create misunderstanding between those people
(McRobbie, 2016) I have experienced that every individual should have cultural intelligence of
those country where they are travelling. Cultural intelligence helps the person to create effective
understanding between two people as well as with the help of cultural intelligence person can
have proper knowledge about the culture, tradition, language, ethics etc. of the country
(Canagarajah, 2013). Other than that person should know different language of the country
where he or she is visiting.
PART C
Practising border crossing
Communicating to unknown is challenging but communicating to a person of other
culture and that also more than hi and hello can be quiet a task. Each culture has their own set of
rules and belief that everyone follows. Culture imprinting is something that start at very early of
age, where society explicitly teach individual about the culture but most of the knowledge that a
person learn its done unconsciously (Moran, Abramson and Moran, 2014)
Communising to a person of different culture can be quiet difficult and there are many barriers
that person have to face in order to have a proper conversation. The person from different culture
have different beliefs and idea and sometime language can also create hindrance in
communication (Chaney and Martin, 2013). It was same in my case when I decided to talk to a
stranger with different cultural background the first thing that hinder my way was language, the
person was from other country and was not well versed in English. Language is the basis of
communication and if it itself is creating the problem than it become quite difficult for the person
to talk. It was quiet difficult for me to make him understand my point of view and also
understand his views. Other than this there were many points where we had clashes on our views
as we both have different belief and culture. This discussion helps me in understanding his point
of view that how difficult it is for a person to come from totally different background and settle
in another culture there were many things a person have to change in order to adapt himself in
society. It presents me the view of other side of coin

Through this conversation I came to learn that culture has great impact on the making of
person. Culture builds the view and mindset of person (Thomson, 2017). Through this I also get
insight of a culture that was totally different from mine. I also realize that how difficult it is for
person to disregard all the value that he learn from birth and adapt to new lifestyle. Moreover, I
also realize that how open minded people have become regarding the culture difference,
nowadays people easily accept the people from other culture. This conversation help me in
boosting my confidence, before this I had never initiated a conversation with a stranger, it has
helped me in enhancing my communication skills through which I was able keep this
conversation going. It heightens my understanding about different culture and increase my
knowledge of inter culture. It also helps me in presenting my view in concise and precise manner
instead of talking in circle, it not only save my time but also improved my skills. Talking with
complete stranger and that also with minimal idea of language require lots of patience, this aids
me increase my level of patience which can help me in the future. This conversation has played
great impact on my personal and professional life. In professional sector, you have to meet with
different client with diverse culture which require lots of patience and better understanding. It
also changes many of my views and fill me with new views, ideas and understanding.

REFRENCES
Almond, G. A. & Verba, S. (2015). The civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five
nations. Princeton university press.
Canagarajah, A. S., 2013. Critical academic writing and multilingual students. University of
Michigan Press.
Chaney, L. & Martin, J. (2013). Intercultural business communication. Pearson Higher Ed.
McRobbie, A. (2016). Be creative: Making a living in the new culture industries. John Wiley &
Sons.
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R. & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences.
Routledge.
Samovar & et. al., (2014). Intercultural communication: A reader. Cengage Learning.
Thomson, R. G. (2017). Extraordinary bodies: Figuring physical disability in American culture
and literature. Columbia University Press.
Wagner, R. (2016). The invention of culture. University of Chicago Press.
Yancey, K., Robertson, L. and Taczak, K., 2014. Writing across contexts: Transfer, composition,
and sites of writing. University Press of Colorado.