Our World is in many ways interconnected, therefore intercultural communication happens always more frequently: according to Piller (2011), “the salience of intercultural communication in present period is both a form of globalisation and a response to globalisation” (p. 19). Before attending the course “Introduction to intercultural communication”, I had never really reflected on such topics, but after the first lecture I realised how often do intercultural encounters occur and that they are closer to my own life and education more than I expected.
My very first intercultural encounter happened four years ago, when I took part in an exchange programme between my school (in Italy) and one in Schwäbisch Gmünd (Germany). This wonderful experience
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Now more than ever, I am surrounded by different people from all over the world and I would like to get to know them and be able to communicate in an efficient way. It feels great to be in contact with such a cultural diversity, but it also requires some efforts. The first evening when I came here, I had no idea of what to expect. For example, while I was walking in my neighbourhood I went across a man and said “Hello” to him, but I received no answer. It made me feel disappointed, but the day after I was taught that here it is not common to greet strangers. I realised that there is nothing wrong with it: it’s not about bad manners, it is just a different habit.
Intercultural communication is also related to my education, as my major is Sociology. For both sociologists and anthropologists culture is a very important notion and it can contribute to explain many phenomena. In my opinion, the best way to be aware of the influence that your own background has on yourself is to exercise intercultural communication: the more you get to know something that differs from what you gave for granted, the more you get to know the influence that your own culture has on people like