Post Service

In my time at Rock Island High School, I noticed that all of the students from different countries acted just as a classroom full of American students would act. There were rowdy students who would not stay in their seats or be quiet, and there were quiet ones that were serious about their work and wanted to obey the teacher. No matter where the student was from, they still showed similar characteristics to each other and American students. I also saw that most of the time, the students portrayed some of the same communication techniques as American culture. Across all cultures, similar communication techniques are used to display emotion or display how something should be interpreted. In the future, I will know not to judge someone from another culture quite as quickly and think about how their values or ideas about behavior may be different from my own. As should everyone else. People should not be so quick to judge those of different cultures and automatically label them as weird just because they have different values and beliefs and may behave differently.

During Service 3

This last time going to Rock Island High School, I took a special notice to their nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is defined as messages expressed by non-linguistic means. For the most part, these messages are universal among all cultures, but there are a few that differ based on the culture. For instance, all of the students send messages with their body when they get something wrong, when they want to be left alone and want to study, or when they are bored. They also have different spacial levels for personal space. The students from Africa tend to get a little closer than those from America would. This shows that their "bubble" for personal space is closer than people from America. The personal space "bubble" is divided into 4 levels, as described by Edward Hall. The closest  level is intimate space designated for those very close to us and loved ones. Then there is personal space which is for friends and family. After that there is social space which is for acquaintances or co-workers. Finally, there is the public space which is open to anyone in public. These students tend to enter into the personal space level even though I do not know them well enough to enter this area. Them entering this area did not make them feel uncomfortable because they are used to being that close to a person. I, on the other hand, became a little uncomfortable because they were so close. I was understanding of them being that close because I know what their culture taught them. From now on, with any culture, I hope to be more understanding of what someone may do that seems different to me because of the difference in cultural backgrounds.