Intercultural and International Experience (Personal Views)
Individual essay
Inter-cultural Here and There
Author: Beatrix Fodor Course: Intercultural and International Communication Tutor: Tommy Josefsson H.L.K. Media and Communication
I. Intercultural There
Looking back to the point where my inter-cultural lifestyle began, I remember myself, last year in February. It was the month that I moved to a different flat, searching for a fresh start, having new hopes and being more motivated than ever to do something productive with my life. Due to my new flat-mates I enrolled in the organization called ESN (Erasmus Student Network) which was formed kind of newly. I didn`t know much what I would do there, only that it involves meeting foreign students that are studying in the city of Cluj Napoca (my study town). I got soon settled and I found my place in the organization at the advertising department, trying hard to bring up the visual side of the organization. I also remember the moment when they announced that foreign students are starting to arrive for the spring semester and that I will be “the buddy” of a student. I picked out a ticket with the name of a student coming from Czech Republic. Since I didn`t receive any guidelines I figured that I`ll do my best and welcome him in a proper way, trying to ease the cultural shock that was approaching. Since we were both from different cultural backgrounds the intercultural communication between us, as stated by Samovar, Porter & McDaniel (2009), would involve different perceptions and symbol systems to which I had to be prepared for . My approach for making his arrival friendlier was to take him to my hometown which is near the border with Hungary even before he saw Cluj, which is a student city, with a buzzing city life. I did this not because I wanted to introduce him to a typical Romanian household and family but to show him acquainted to the multicultural environment that he is going to experience during his exchange. I said multicultural environment due to the fact
Inter-cultural Here and There
Author: Beatrix Fodor Course: Intercultural and International Communication Tutor: Tommy Josefsson H.L.K. Media and Communication
I. Intercultural There
Looking back to the point where my inter-cultural lifestyle began, I remember myself, last year in February. It was the month that I moved to a different flat, searching for a fresh start, having new hopes and being more motivated than ever to do something productive with my life. Due to my new flat-mates I enrolled in the organization called ESN (Erasmus Student Network) which was formed kind of newly. I didn`t know much what I would do there, only that it involves meeting foreign students that are studying in the city of Cluj Napoca (my study town). I got soon settled and I found my place in the organization at the advertising department, trying hard to bring up the visual side of the organization. I also remember the moment when they announced that foreign students are starting to arrive for the spring semester and that I will be “the buddy” of a student. I picked out a ticket with the name of a student coming from Czech Republic. Since I didn`t receive any guidelines I figured that I`ll do my best and welcome him in a proper way, trying to ease the cultural shock that was approaching. Since we were both from different cultural backgrounds the intercultural communication between us, as stated by Samovar, Porter & McDaniel (2009), would involve different perceptions and symbol systems to which I had to be prepared for . My approach for making his arrival friendlier was to take him to my hometown which is near the border with Hungary even before he saw Cluj, which is a student city, with a buzzing city life. I did this not because I wanted to introduce him to a typical Romanian household and family but to show him acquainted to the multicultural environment that he is going to experience during his exchange. I said multicultural environment due to the fact