Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is a big issue in our medical fields today. Dealing with individuals from different cultures is a part of every day life. Intercultural communication is the understanding that different cultures communicate and perceive the world differently. It is very important for individuals to understand this concept in order to interact with one another. The point of the intercultural communication awareness and competency model is to recognize and avoid the breakdowns in intercultural communication. The final results of my survey came to be a 58. After recalculating my score, I had 4’s (11) and 3’s (3) and one 5. My score indicates that I am more aware of intercultural communication and awareness and competence. Even though I did score high, I am still dealing with some barriers to intercultural communication.
One barrier is Anxiety, because I do not know what is expected of me. On the plane I actually sat beside some Ticos. I was kind of nervous to talk to them because they did not understand what I was saying. This is an example of my anxiety issues. For example, questions like Will my host parents get mad if I speak English all the time? Will I offend them if I do speak English? Will they get frustrated if I do not understand their Spanish right away? How do I talk to them in general? Those were just some of the questions that were going through my mind. Having the experience with different cultures has toned down my anxiety a little, but I still have it. That is why I wanted to stay with a host family in Costa Rica, so I can really learn their culture and just relax around them. When I arrived to see my host family, they made me feel so warm and at home. I think they knew I was nervous but they did not treat me different at all. I can say that I have overcome my Anxiety this week in Costa Rica. Confidence plays a big part in this barrier as well. Sometimes I will sit outside with my host mom and we will talk about anything. Just the