IndexUnderstanding the importance of intercultural communicationExploring and avoiding cultural misunderstandings/dilemmasAwareness of the intercultural development process and dealing with/helping with culture shockSelf-reflection, learning and future developmentReferencesUnderstanding the importance of intercultural communicationI chose to write an essay on intercultural communication as it is becoming more and more necessary in every field of work. Due to increasing globalization, boundaries between cultures are continually disappearing. I visited or lived in cities like Sydney or The Hague and began to understand the importance of acquiring a sensitive attitude towards people with different cultural backgrounds than mine. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Studying intercultural communication will help each individual create a “collective identity” (Nunez, 2017) together with people from different cultural backgrounds. The only entry requirement to study intercultural communication is the willingness to develop a "growth mindset" (Dweck, 2006) that is open-minded to other opinions and points of view. As Gloria stated in the forum, one of the best ways to learn about different cultures is travel. When I was traveling in Australia, I was exposed to all different types of cultures. This was the first time I realized the various types of values, habits and perceptions that distinguish cultures from each other and recognized the way I was programmed by my cultural background. I have learned to exchange different views and opinions on global issues on the basis of mutual respect. In order to improve leadership skills, as a future manager, I believe it is necessary to work on intercultural communication skills to overcome cultural barriers while working in a globalized world. Receiving a message from a co-worker should not be interrupted by cultural noise. It is useful to apply the TOPOI model (Hoffman, 2012). This model can help prevent misinterpretations and gain a mutual understanding of each other's values ​​and goals. I'm 20 years old. My father is from Morocco and my mother is German. Therefore, I come from two different national cultures. I have lived my whole life in Germany and as a result I know German culture better. However, my father taught me a lot about my Moroccan origins. I have already visited this beautiful country a few times and learned a lot about its culture. Since my parents have been divorced since I was born, I struggled to learn my father's language since I only saw him once a week. On the other hand, I speak a little French, which helps me communicate in Morocco. I grew up as part of the German middle class, which is therefore my subculture. Another subculture is the culture of football players and fans, as I like to play and watch football. Regarding Hall's key concept (Nunez, 2017), there are low-context and high-context cultures. Since I grew up in Germany, which is one of the lowest context cultures in the world, one might assume that I am consequently a low context person. I can neither agree nor disagree with this. In my case I understood that it depends on the language I speak and the relationship I have with the person I speak to. When I speak German, for example, I tend to have a lower context like most Germans, but when I speak English, I often catch myself speaking in a high context. Also, I've noticed that I tend to speak in contexthighest with people with whom I have a symmetrical relationship (e.g. friends) and low with people with whom I have a complementary relationship (e.g. teacher). According to Kluckhohn's value orientations (Nunez, 2017), two values ​​that distinguish cultures from each other are individualism and collectivism. Being half German and half Moroccan, I come from an individualized and collectivized culture. Therefore, I see myself as a mix of both, but with a tendency to be more collective oriented. It is very important to me to have healthy relationships with my friends and family. I happily let them join my circle of influence and listen to their advice respectfully. On the other hand, an important value of mine is independence and the freedom to choose my way of life without too many external influences and directions. For example, I didn't like it when my family criticized my decision to take a gap year in Australia. In this case I was individual oriented, I ignored the criticism and did what I think was right. As part of Hofstede's six dimensions of culture (Nunez, 2017), there are masculine and feminine cultures. I can clearly say that both my national cultures are masculine. As for my cultural programming and independent will, which shape my behavior, I am aware of many masculine characteristics. For example, I have always had a secret goal of getting the best test results in my class. I like to compete with friends for the best gym workout results or best soccer skills. Success has always guided me. Exploring and avoiding cultural misunderstandings/dilemmas This summer I traveled with my father to my other home country, Morocco. I wanted to see my family there and deepen my knowledge of my father's culture. While we were sitting in a very traditional restaurant in Marrakesh, I was telling a story to my father. It was halfway through the story that I realized my father was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Suddenly he interrupted me and told me that I should lower the volume of my voice because it was too loud. He argued that it is disrespectful in Moroccan culture to speak loudly in a public place. I felt surprised and a little annoyed that he interrupted me. As a result, I responded, “I appreciate you telling me, but I don't like you interrupting me. I don't think I speak much louder than the other people sitting here. In Germany it is completely normal to speak in such a loud voice.”My father's point of view: I was in a restaurant and I was talking to my son. He was telling me a story, but I couldn't concentrate because I thought he was speaking too loudly in a public place. I interrupted him and told him my opinion. He seemed annoyed that I interrupted him, but I felt uncomfortable with him speaking so loudly and disturbing others' privacy. I can identify with my father's position when I think about the dilemma now. My father's decision to cut me off was based on his promise to teach me more about his culture. Perhaps he felt intimidated by the volume of my voice because during his upbringing he was taught to lower his voice in public places. The underlying assumption that created this cultural dilemma is called “Personal Space” (Hall, as cited in Nunez et al, 2017). In Morocco, people feel relatively intimidated in their personal space when strangers talk loudly in public places. Being a collectivized culture, they care about the well-being of others. That's why my father cared about the other people in the restaurant. I, on the other hand, was used to this volume of voice, because in Germany people aren'tthey feel intimidated so quickly and care less about the opinion of others. Another basic assumption is “power distance” (Hofstede, cited in Nunez et al, 2017). Morocco is a country with high power distance and therefore it is rare for a son to speak in such a loud tone of voice to his father. It is considered a sign of disrespect. I believe there are several solutions to this dilemma. I, for example, could have acted more empathetically and could have simply changed my volume without hesitating and asking questions. I could have asked him, “What is the appropriate voice volume for public places here?” Then we would have solved this dilemma quickly. On the other hand, my father could have waited for my story to end and then he could have given his opinion on the volume of my voice. I think then I wouldn't have felt bothered and consequently there wouldn't have been a dilemma. Awareness of the intercultural development process and managing/helping with culture shock Since I traveled a lot before I started studying in The Hague, I have already experienced quite a lot of cultural differences and found ways to deal with them. Consequently, when I arrived in The Hague and met all the international students at my home and at the university, I tried to be as open as possible. I have had countless discussions on different issues around the world and have appreciated different points of view from cultures other than my own. After the first few days, I noticed how everyone in my house, including me, adjusted to each other's expectations of how clean the kitchen should be and did their best to make everyone feel at home. When I look back on that time since I arrived in The Hague, I can say that I am more capable than ever of being tolerant and adapting to the culture of others. Regarding Bennett's model of intercultural sensitivity (Bennett, as cited in Nunez et al, 2017) I was in the "Acceptance" phase when I arrived in The Hague, because I recognized all different types of cultures. For example, when I cooked with my Romanian roommates, I accepted their cooking methods which are very different from what I am used to from Germany. But I still used the methods I feel most comfortable with. Since I often cooked with them, I found myself adapting to their cooking methods as well. Therefore I can say that at the moment I am in the 'Adaptation' phase. I am able to experience norms, values ​​and methods from the perception of other cultures. Regarding the phases of Adler's culture shock model (Adler, as cited in Nunez et al, 2017), I clearly experienced the “pre-departure phase” before coming to The Hague. I had the same feeling as when I left for Australia a year ago. I was full of uncertainties and doubts whether I had made the right choice to move to The Hague and study ISPM. I didn't know what kind of people will live in my house. I was evaluating what kind of “Human Nature” (Kluckhohn, cited in Nunez et al, 2017) these people will have and therefore whether they are fundamentally good or bad. I was going through different levels of emotions: from hysterical excitement to slow realization and finally to relaxing acceptance right before moving. From the first day I arrived in the Netherlands, I found myself on “The Vacation Stage” (Adler, as cited in Nunez et al, 2017). I received a warm welcome from the other international students and teachers, who helped me integrate very quickly. As a result, my first few weeks felt somewhat like a vacation, even though I had a lot to study. There are many Moroccan shops just around the corner from where I live, which gives me the feeling of being on holiday in Morocco. Furthermore, the international perspective of The Hague makes minevery different living environment compared to that of my home country. I push the bad things I feel into the back of my mind, such as no hot water for a few days, and focus on the positive impacts on my life, such as fun activities with my new friends. In my opinion, there there are several reasons why I'm currently in the "vacation phase". First of all, since I arrived here, the whole environment is new to me, which gives me the feeling of having a lot to discover and at the same time nothing to lose. This is the same feeling I get when I normally go on holiday. Secondly, the open-mindedness and respect of the students I have met so far in The Hague reminds me of the kind behavior of the people I have met during my travels in Australia. Their positivity gives me the feeling of ease. My strategy for the culture shock I am currently in is to maintain “The Vacation Stage” as long as possible to avoid “The Angry Stage” (Adler, as cited in Nunez et al, 2017). As a result, my goal is to keep the emotion I felt at the beginning alive for as long as possible. To do this, a strategy could be to go and discover the surrounding cities such as Rotterdam or Amsterdam with my friends. This might keep me excited about my new surroundings. Another strategy could be to regularly invite friends and relatives from home to my house to strengthen my relationship with them. This may avoid the feeling that everything would be better when you were at home. I would like to bring familiarity from home into my new life, which would help avoid or postpone the onset of "The Angry Stage." Self-reflections, learning and future development In my opinion, it can be quite difficult in some life situations to behave culturally sensitive and be tolerant of the opinions or behavior of others. It is very important, when learning "Intercultural Communication", to avoid compartmentalization when learning about different cultures. Many superficial stereotypes about the behavior and values ​​of different cultures are described in the literature on “intercultural sensitivity”. These stereotypes can easily turn into prejudices, which can be counterproductive to the goal of developing better cultural understanding. Once, when I lived with Italians in a shared apartment in Sydney for three months, I expected them to last at least 10 minutes. late when we wanted to meet. This expectation was based on the stereotype that Italians would always be late to meetings, because it is ingrained in their culture. Instead I was surprised when they arrived five minutes before our meeting. This example highlights the importance of avoiding compartmentalized thinking that results in black-and-white stereotypes. In my opinion, it is necessary to respect people's individual will more than their cultural programming that leads to these stereotypes. It is a challenge for me to develop cultural understanding towards my counterpart's culture when our communication is disturbed by language barriers. For example, when I worked at a liquor store in Sydney, I worked with a South Korean guy who didn't speak English very well. I was very interested in gaining more knowledge about Korean culture and tried to start a conversation with him. We had to use "Google Translate" a lot to understand what the other party wanted to say. Therefore, I could not learn much about Korean culture because the language barrier served as “cultural noise” (Nunez, 2017) in our communication. This situation shows how difficult it is to develop "cultural sensitivity" when they exist, 15(4), 13-23.