One example of good intercultural communication came from Carly's blog #7. In it she stated that, even though she did not know the language during the indigenous ballet, she still understood the message of the dances. This show effective intercultural communication that conveys a message outside of language, and instead in a more universal form of body language and movement.

      An example of poor intercultural communication comes from blog post #3 by Sam Swem. In the post, Sam stated that one of his ethnocentric tendencies was to suspect many, or all, of the people he passed on his walk of wanting to steal from or harm him. Although he definitely understood how incorrect this line of thinking must be, he was led to it by a poor understanding of Ecuadorian body language and space. If he had a greater understanding of how Ecuadorians signaled intent while walking on the street, he would surely have been more comfortable.

     Another example of good intercultural communication comes from a student that wrote on a painting of the Gas Chambers by Guayasamin. Even though Guayasamin and the student were separated by time, language, and culture the student was still able to understand the message that Guayasamin wanted to transmit.  The artwork was a great example of intercultural communication because it bypasses less reliable forms of communication, like language, for colors and images.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

      I will admit that the thing I am looking forward to the most when I get back home is some good, processed, junk food. It seems strange, because I like the food in Ecuador, and am almost always willing to be adventurous and try new foods. But that sense of adventure is exactly the problem. I rarely feel as though I can just gulp down anything placed in front of me, secure in the knowledge of exactly what it is and what it will taste like. The classic foods from home will allow me to eat with that security intact, and that security is what I really miss.      I think the thing I will miss the most about Ecuador is the sense of adventure that I could feel every time I left the house, whether it was just to class at the academia or to some other attraction. I loved the feeling that I was going to see new sights, experience new things, and accomplish something impressive every day. The quote that struck me today, as we were le...
Read more

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...
Read more

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 ...
Read more