#4 Evaluating Intercultural Behavior

I believe that people are complex and it is almost impossible to stereotype (thinking that specific types of individuals adopt a certain way of thinking) one another even if they grew up in the same community. There isn’t a set of rules to conform a culture since we shape culture itself.  In fact, I love abnormalities that we come across within a certain culture and the element of surprise that comes with it.

Value:  Cultural self-awareness

Scale: 3

Loving your culture does not mean walking around and shouting: ‘I love being a

Singaporean!’.  What I’m saying here is that loving something is about respecting it, being proud of it, yet understanding that it has flaws and it is not perfect. But this does not mean that one can conform others into your own thinking, or force it onto others. In fact, sometimes it is good to hear what others view about your culture and gain a greater dept of perspective.

I have never viewed Singapore as a small country until I stepped out of it. When I went abroad, I realized that many people did not know where or what Singapore was like. The first common misconception that I faced was that we were located in China, and the second was that we all conversed in Chinese and was not fluent in the English language. It can be rather frustrating at first, but as time passed, I felt myself being more open to the perceptions of others. Soon, I was excited to tell them about the Singaporean culture and its diversity within itself.

Value: Knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks

Scale: 2

I feel that I am still lacking in this area and as I have only started to expose myself in intense cultural elements in the past year or two. Previously, it was hard for me to initiate myself to learn about another’s culture communication styles, practices and values. Furthermore, I steered toward believing I can understand another culture through its history and places of interest. When I started travelling, I realized how rich all of the cultures are and is made up of many other elements.

*Thus, for the next value, I have ranked ‘Openness’ on scale of 3

Value: Openness

Scale: 3

I feel that both values are somehow closely linked together, since to increase my knowledge of other cultures, I must be receptive to my offshore friends. Open-mindedness to me consist of 2 major parts: First is to step back and listen, and secondly to reach out and develop relationships. Being open minded is particularly importance for a lone foreign traveler living in another country. To accept (or learn to accept) how others live and communicate. While certain values you might personally offended, but never directly present your current feelings, just acknowledge it in the back of your head. (No one actually knows, right?)

Value: Curiosity

Scale: 4

 (My first perfect score! :D) As I mentioned before, understanding a particular culture is not only about its famous places, historical background, but also blending into its culture and mingling with the natives. An inquisitive mind should not be something that only occurs in a short duration but instead something that is lifelong. Also, it is impossible to fully understand a new culture just by listening to one single person. It is important to gather mindset of others within the same culture.

Value: Empathy skills

Scale: 3

Many of my peers have found it difficult to stop complete stereotyping behavior and till today still openly use it in front of people from different cultures. Although I was not as vocal as some of my peers, somehow I did stereoptype others (being really honest here) unintentionally. Until one day I was ‘conventionalized’ by others. Empathy plays a crucial role in how we view and approach others. This brings understanding to a whole new level and helps me to acknowledge the emotional aspects of others.

Value: Verbal and non-verbal communication

Scale: 3

 At first I wanted to give it a top score of 4 but realized how many mistakes I would have committed when I sat through the peer teaching presentation my friend jasmine prepared; on consequences of not communicating effectively across borders. I feel that the only reason why I have yet to commit these mistakes because I have not done them, not because I KNOW it is wrong to do them. It just shows how much more I can learn, even if I am able to understand the other party and communicate well with them.