INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS IN ASIA

Throughout my entire college career I had wanted to partake in an exchange or study abroad program in order to be able to experience living in another country. Though, I didn't only want an experience which would serve as a vacation to me, I wanted an experience that would push me to grow and adapt to a country entirely different than my own. I wanted to fully immerse myself in a culture nearly completely different from what I was raised in, where I would have to learn to think on my feet and adapt to the surroundings around me. I purposefully chose a region of the world I knew the least about from my studies as an International Relations major as a method to immerse myself in it's culture and learn as much as I could. I finally found the perfect study abroad experience to give that to me, and it was cultural communications in Thailand. I spent one optional week in Beijing and two weeks in Thailand learning about the vast differences between eastern and western culture, East Asian and Southeast asian cultures, and how one would correctly partake in intercultural communication in both countries as a foreigner.

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The week long excursion I and several other classmates participated in was not a part of the original itinerary and therefore had no coursework to match with our stay there. Though, I experienced many highs and lows while in China due to a drastically deep communication gap, I learned and absorbed so much culture all the same. We had a phenomenal tour guide who taught us extensively about Chinese history, culture, and modern-day life within such a considerably short period of time. Beijing will always hold a dear place in my heart.

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 While in Thailand, our time was split between three cities over a two week period. In Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and Bangkok I took three classes all focusing on communications. The power of language, nonverbal communication, and communications in Asia all taught me how deep the cultural divide is between the West and the East, as well as between East Asia and Southeast Asia. While I learned so much from the courses I was taking abroad, I also had supplementary education on the history of the cities I visited from our Thai tour guides as well.

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I have such a deep respect for both the Chinese and Thai people having been fully immersed in both of their cultures. I never fully understood how unique and complex Eastern culture is compared to the Western culture I grew up in. It was incredibly refreshing to see the world and life through a different perspective. I feel as though this trip also opened my eyes fully to the fact that although we may have differing ethnic identities, cultures, or heritages we are all more alike than we realize. Every human seeks love, wants to lead a full and happy life, works to provide for their families and loved ones, and wants the best for their future generations. Upon having this revelation fully sink in during my time in Beijing, I found that throughout the trip despite language barriers I faced, I had no feelings of culture shock or alienation. This trip helped me grow exponentially on a personal level. Being in two foreign countries with little to no means of communication besides google translate meant having to rely on my own instincts and directional skills many a time.