Carly V.- Blog Post #16

In blog post #4 Carly mentions how her family will hug and kiss people, even those they do not know. This is a way to use gestures as a form on communication, even if you do not share the same language. I though that this example showed effective intercultural communication. Because I did not speak much Spanish before going on the trip, using this form of communication was a large part of how I navigated conversations and relationships with the people that I met. 

 In blog post #6 Caitlin also displayed an effective form of intercultural communication. In her post she was referring to her time at Neque y Mas Neque. Because she was not completely confident in her Spanish speaking abilities, she found other ways to connect and communicate with the children. For her, this alternative form of communication came from dance. Dance was a universal form of communication between her culture, and the culture of the children. 

 In blog post #12 Sarah mentions meeting a person who seemed judgmental and did not want to open up and talk to her. This is an ineffective form of communication. Communication is something that requires input from both sides of the conversation, if one person is not open to communicate, then this closes the door of opportunity for a connection to be made. Thankfully, Sarah did say that later on she was able to connect and communication with this person. 

 These three posts stuck out to me because they were all very similar to experiences that I had while in Ecuador. I think that intercultural communication is not just a skill that should be learned by those who travel, but a skill that should learned by everyone. It is important to respect the differences that two cultures may have, but it is just as important to find those connections between the two as well. 

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Blog 16

One effective example of intercultural communication is when Tyessa talks about her experience at Neque. She is talking about a little girl when she says, "I helped her with homework and she helped me understand that language isn’t always needed in a relationship or even in a conversation. Sometimes you just need to listen with your mind and your heart, not with your ears." She makes a very good point here. I believe she means that language is still there, but in a different form than just words. It is a feeling and connection in which we can make with one another. I found this to be the case as well when we were working with the children at Neque. When I couldn't understand them, they would just take my hand and show me the way or demonstrate something. This seemed to be the best way to communicate with one another.  Another example of effective intercultural communication is when Thea talks about her experience at Neque as well. She say that, "Despite knowing ver...
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