Intercultural Communication Observation

Observation 1

I moved from Derby, a town in the centre of England to Australia, when I was eight (2007). While England and Australia speak the same language, it was still a shock moving across the globe. For we had never even left the country before this move, and had never been on a plane. During the time it took to fly from England to Australia, my parents were always warning us to be on our best behaviour. Particularly, when we landed in Singapore and there were soldiers patrolling the airport with rifles. The most vivid memory I have showcasing the different cultures between the two nations, was when I first started school here. The first thing I remember was being shocked at the size of the school, as it went from pre-school all the way

A memory of intercultural communication stems from visiting Vanuatu. When we arrived, there were many male tour guides waiting for the chance to barter with the newcomers, for a chance to show them around the island. At first it was confronting and overwhelming as I had never experienced anything like this, and I was wary as the guides, while native to the island and welcoming, were not part of actual businesses. Our tour guide took us to several places around the island, in particular a cultural show of the islands history. The performers were native to the island, and were enthusiastic to share their history and culture. They were very welcoming, and tried to get each visiting group to interact with them by picking individuals to join them in dancing, and making fires. Our tour guide, a native Ni-Vanuatu male, was also very joyful and welcoming. However, my mother, sister, and I were uncomfortable as he loved hugging us, and wrapping an arm around our shoulders. While we were uncomfortable, throughout the day we saw him hugging and actively engaging with several other people he met and knew. Although, it seemed a natural occurrence in their culture, it’s not in

I was helping my mother’s partner, and my brother to check on sheep that the RSPCA had contacted him about, and were in bad condition. The hobby farm where they were located was owned by a Spanish immigrant, whom spoke very little English. Communication was very difficult, as we tried explaining that we had to herd the sheep into a shed so that we could look at them closer, and catch the too clip their hooves. However, he thought we meant to catch them while they were in a larger pen, which is difficult, and that the sheep herding do we had brought with us would harm them. Even after multiple reassurances that she would just herd them into the shed, and then watch. Our communication during this time was very limited as, and multiple hand gestures were used to get both of our points across. After helping the sheep, he tried asking if our dog wanted something to eat, however he asked in Spanish while point at the dog, and we had no idea what was being said, until he gestured to his mouth. When the sheep had been looked after, he was told the set price of the day, being $55 for nine sheep and one ram. Having not been in Australia long, he tried haggling the price, which he could communicate