Transcript
Intercultural Communication – Personal Experience as a Traveler
Enock Kemboi,
COMM240 D001 Win 18
American Public University System
Instructor: Kaufman, Dana
April 04, 2018
Intercultural Communication – Personal Experience as a Traveler
When I was preparing to travel to the united states, my family and friends had a different image of the United States. They thought everybody in has well-paying jobs, they have houses, everybody has a good life. They made me believe that the first few months I will be jobless the government will be paying me $500. They instill high hopes in me but when I finally landed into the united states reality kicks in and nothing was real. My impression totally changed from expecting heaven treatment to a country like any other country in the world. It was clean with friendly people, People smoke in apartments stairs just like the way it was in Kenya, People use curse language like official language in the streets even in their families which was totally different from my expectations. This was my first time to see snow.
It took me almost 2-3 months to adjust to my new location in Oklahoma. Despite the cold weather, I loved the people. Everybody was nice though I was not able to understand their American English nor they were to understand my British English and Swahili accent. I felt ashamed but I accepted the situation and I learned how to speak like them, how to eat their food, how to pick the topics while exchanging conversation, I learned to speak slower because in Swahili we speak faster, I made friends, I attended their festivals among other activities which helped me to relate well with the locals.
If I would have another chance to do it over I will change my attitude, my expectation, I will do more research on the culture, the traditions, the religion in the area, I will check seasons changes for example winter, spring summer which is totally different from where I was born Kenya thus help to know which clothes to travel with to avoid inconvenience, I will also learn their language in advance to help fit the society faster hence making my transition smooth and friendly, I will make notes of what to do, when to do it, I will try to get facts about the location rather than fictions from family or friends, also I will try to save enough money before travelling to avoid rushing for jobs before I fully settle down. Finally, I will check to make sure my college credentials will transfer to the American system.
This experience and the knowledge I have gained from intercultural communication has changed my perspective in many ways. I have learned that using convergence method and not maintenance or divergence method will help me relate and interact well with the locals thus making my transition smooth. I have learned that when I travel to any other country in the world it is very important to respect their culture, traditions, religion, and research about them prior to travel is a critical key to exercise at all times. Flexibility also plays a key role because it is not always the same way you research is the way you will see or come across, things might change and thus I should be able to adapt as soon as possible without interrupting the locals or disrespecting them. Finally, my experience changed my thoughts about people across the planet. All people are the same only the skin color, language, race, background, religion, gender, and beliefs are what differentiates them but that's what identifies them.
Very Respectfully
Kip
References
Wals, S. C., Theiss-Morse, E., Gonzalez, F. J., & Gosda, T. (2015). Love thy neighbor? trust in foreigners and support for transnational policies. Political Research Quarterly, 68(3), 537-551. doi:10.1177/1065912915594253
ValueWalk: A young foreigner's first impressions of america - nice but massive debt unseen (2017). . Chatham: Newstex.
Bachmeier, J., Bean, F., d'Appollonia, A. C., Reich, S., Bohmer, C., Bonnet, F., . . . Garbaye, R. (2014;2010;). Managing ethnic diversity after 9/11 : Integration, security, and civil liberties in transatlantic perspective. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press.
