Richard

Bergstrom
IDI Initial Reflection
Tiger Pride


Intercultural communication means the ability to connect with individuals of
other backgrounds. By connect I mean in terms of behavior, culture, religion, etc. A
person who is competent in intercultural communication can identify and
understand the differences and similarities between ethnic groups.
I think intercultural communication is an important skill to possess as a
teacher, but its also important for all occupations. Its a benefit to be able to
communicate properly with someone of a different ethnic background. This skill can
eliminate the language/culture barrier that prevents people from communicating
from one another. For a teacher, it is an important skill because a class will most
likely have students from different ethnic groups and it would be appropriate to
understand from where they come in terms of their culture, religion, and etiquette.
I worked in physical therapy for a few years in the bay area and saw a
diverse range of people, 6 years old being the youngest and 80 years plus being the
oldest. People from all ethnic backgrounds came in. There was a time when I was
helping out a 60-year-old female who only communicated in Spanish. Fortunately I
remembered some Spanish and did my best to communicate with her. Sometimes
she was in pain during the session and I couldnt help her because I didnt know
what she was feeling. I practiced my Spanish a bit and over the course of her
sessions, I was able to pinpoint key words she was telling me. Another time I faced
culture barrier was when I had a female patient who wore a burka. She came in for
her low back and insisted another female to help her. I was the only aide in the
morning shift so what I did was explained and demonstrated all the exercises to her,
and placed all the equipment in a room for her privacy. I have other examples but
those two stood out the most due to its significance to this piece.
Perceived reflection is where I place myself along the intercultural
development continuum (Denial, Polarization Defense/Reversal, Minimization,
Acceptance, Adaptation). My perceived orientation was within acceptance. This
means that I recognize and appreciate patterns of cultural difference in ones own
and other cultures in values, perceptions, and behaviors. My actual orientation is on
the lower end of minimization. This means that I find commonality between
cultures, values, and principles that may also mask deeper recognition and
appreciation of cultural differences. In other words, I lack the knowledge of deeper
meanings to cultural values and principles.
I was kind of shocked when I received my IDI results. The discrepancy was
huge. More than 7 points indicates a meaningful difference between the perceived
orientation and the actual orientation. I overestimated my level of intercultural
competence.
My meeting with Sergio did help me make sense of the results. He gave me an
example of how a teacher at a secondary school had the same scores as I did and she
had difficulties adapting cultural differences and recognition in her classroom in
order for her students to learn more effectively. Those culturally different students

dont participate in class as much as the teacher would like so she isnt attending to
those differences as deeply as she should to facilitate learning in the classroom. I
grew up in the bay area where I am surrounded by all cultures and all ethnic groups.
I have friends of all cultures. I know some bits about their culture but I lack that
deeper meaning and understanding.
Honestly, after going through this IDI exam, I think I have more weaknesses
than strengths when it comes to intercultural communication. A strength of mine
would be that I have a broader range of perspectives on issues or challenges. I
recognize that people come from different backgrounds and bring different cultural
experiences. I have taken Spanish courses for 2 years as a language to learn but that
doesnt mean I am culturally competent. I know some things about the culture and
the language. Because of my mixed background, I am aware of the different aspects
about the culture like religion, food, music, etiquette, etc. The prime weakness is
that I lack the deeper understanding and meaning of other cultures. In order to fully
understand and work with those of other backgrounds, one must be able to
understand and dive deep into those roots.
Im not sure if Tiger Pride specifically will help me develop these skills
because the instructors are so focused on the lesson and managing students.
Observing as an ET last semester, I dont think any of the lesson plans integrated
culture into the lessons. Its complex to implement culture into physical education,
especially if the students only have interesting in playing.
I would like to improve on my intercultural communication. One way to start
is to be aware of my own culture. This is the first step to effective intercultural
communication. I am a mixture of Japanese, German, and Swedish. I know more
about my Japanese side than I do about German and Swedish. I have been to Japan
and Hawaii. There I have been to many cultural events and places like the Atomic
bomb dome, the memorial, festivals, and temples. I am also aware of some of the
holidays in Japan because my mom celebrates them. The next step to intercultural
communication is to learn about other cultures and dive deep into their roots. The
way about this is to read books, websites, articles, magazines, or anything related to
that culture. One can learn a lot by a culture through their style on media. Its
important to also be curious because it leads one to have the chance to experience
things. Listening to their music and observing their films can bring awareness to the
culture. The next and possibly last step to intercultural communication is to actually
attend events or go to places where the culture is exhibited. For example, visiting
the country itself or going to multi-cultural parts of large cities (i.e. Japantown or
Chinatown in San Francisco) can be revitalizing and mysterious. There, one can visit
stores, restaurants, museums, plays, etc. to increase awareness in ones own life.
Traveling is essentially the best way to indulge in a cultures heritage and increases
exposure so one can experience the life of another society.