FINAL BLOG!!!!

Well the time has finally come! The end of the semester. We have all waited on this time since the middle of August and it is hard to believe that the time has already come to get out for Christmas break. I can honestly say though that Intercultural Communication was by far one of my favorite classes. I did not know really what to expect when I came in to this class. When I thought of Intercultural Communication I just thought it was going to be a boring class on how other countries communicate, but it was not! I gained very valuable attributes during this class that will definitely come in handy on down the road if (by if I mean when) I ever have to communicate with someone who was raised in a different culture than I was.

I really enjoyed learning about nonverbal communication in different cultures this semester. It was really interesting and informative to see. It is crazy to see all of the things that we do that would be seen completely different in the eyes of someone else. That is one thing that I will have to be ever aware of when I am communicating with someone of another culture.

Thank you Prof. Parish for your time and enthusiasm this semester. You made class fun and I enjoyed learning the different aspects of several different cultures over the last few months!

Sports

Every country has the things that they really enjoy doing. Whether it be doing arts and crafts, playing outdoors, improving their education, or anything else; every country has a thing that they are known for.  That being said, every country for sure has a favorite sport.  For america, it is hard to determine what would be our “favorite” sport. Baseball is considered America’s pastime, but football has made its claim to fame in the last fifty years. There is also basketball, hockey, and golf that have extremely high ratings in American culture.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are much like many other European countries. They love their football, or soccer for us Americans.  Soccer is the biggest sport in Europe and is that the same for Bosnia.  The country is home to several professional and semi-profesional teams that play each other and also around Europe.  Unfortunately, because of the war, most Bosnian villages lack a soccer field for children and teens to grow up playing the game that the country so deeply loves.

Bosnia had its first Olympic appearance in 1992.  They also boast to have played games in the 2012 London Olympic games.  The Bosnian league was split up into three weaker divisions after the civil war that devastated Bosnia.  In 2000 though, two of the leagues agreed to join to form two independent leagues in Bosnia.  Since the war the Bosnians have failed to qualify for any European Championship tournaments and many players born there do not end up playing for Bosnia due to higher salaries offered by other teams from other countries.

Why Are You Dressed Like That?

Every geographic location is obviously different.  They have their own culture. With those different cultures comes different forms of style. The types of clothing they wear is different. The things that they do with their families is different. Yes, there are some similarities between a lot of cultures but there are none the same. That is why it is so important to know these differences before going into that certain culture.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is just like any other culture, it is unique.  The family lifestyle is very similar to the American family lifestyle though.  In most cases, both the husband and the wife work outside of the household. Yet also like in American cultures, the wife is thought to be responsible for doing the cooking and keeping up with cleaning and other household duties.  Recently though family sizes are generally decreasing in numbers because education and prosperity are both becoming more of an importance.    

The way people dress is another huge form of culture.  Clothing styles can almost define some cultures like in the Middle East and women covering the whole body except their eyes.  Bosnia used to be known for having the widest variety of folklore but now little of that can be seen except for a few isolated areas in the mountains of northern Bosnia.  In more urban areas Bosnia is not much different from other European countries. Blue jeans are worn quite regularly but the occasional Muslim clothing will be seen generally by older men.  Women have for the most part replaced the long dresses of Muslim cultures with pants and rain coats while still wearing the traditional headdresses.

Bosnians are very formal when showing respect. They are very personal when talking to someone.  They always have a very polite greetings for one another no matter who it is.  It considered extremely rude for you to use first names in Bosnian cultures unless it is a close fiend or relative.

Don’t Touch Me!

As we all know, talking, whether face-to-face or electronically mediated, is not the only form of communication. There are many different aspects that play a rle in successful communication. Knowing those different roles and aspects will greatly benefit you if you have to do any kind of international communication. Nonverbals play a huge role in the way people will react in communication. Like here in America, you will probably get punched by someone if you walk up to them and without warning give them a huge bear hug.  Also, it is considered extremely rude to just sit and stare at someone for an extended period of time. But, those actions may be accepted and meaningful in other cultures. That is why it is extremely important to research before you go and do something stupid.

My country is Bosnia and Herzegovina.  People in Bosnia are not very aware of personal space. They do not think very much of being in very close proximity to others and actually do not like it when others actually do like some personal space.  Like in the United States, eye contact is a very important thing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Eye contact represents that someone is being truthful and their intent is good.

Giving the middle finger in the United States is almost as bad as calling someone’s mother a prostitute. That action is the same in Bosnia except it is for the first three fingers erect at the same time. So do not tell somebody it is three o’clock with your fingers or you might get punched.  Bosnians are a little different when it comes to contact.  Although touching someone is considered unacceptable, a handshake will often be accepted by a stranger whether it be a man or a woman. Once a solid friendship is established, people of the same-sex will often greet each other with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. Also, young people kiss the hands of the elderly as signs of respect for them.

Can’t do that in Bosnia

Uncertainty avoidance is how you measure the way people react to a change. In high uncertainty avoidance cultures people view change as dangerous. They hate it and are nervous about the future. Low uncertainty avoidance cultures are the opposite. They embrace change and are not really concerned with the future. Power distance is the level at which people accept hierarchical authority and how willing they are to submit themselves to it.  In high power distance cultures people do not question authority. in low power distance cultures people are more open and willing to question those who are in authority.

Bosnia was the country I chose for this class.  I did some research and found that Bosnia is a very high uncertainty avoidance culture. People in Bosnia and Herzegovina are very timid when it comes to change. They are not very fond of the future and who can blame them? After seeing what the people of that culture have seen and what they have experienced with the civil war and almost complete genocide, you cannot really argue as to why they are unsure of their future. Bosnia is also a very high power distance culture. Authority is respected beyond belief. People in this culture would not even think about questioning authority. It probably has to do with the fact that people are looking for people to look up to in this society after what I mentioned above.

If I were to go over to Bosnia on business I would definitely have to change some things. I would first learn what they do because I know that they do not like change. I would then do everything I could to adapt to their culture so they would not have to change any. I would not be as open for discussion because I know they would not really respond to it but I would nt turn down open air discussion. And finally, I would keep everything present tense, not trying to freak them out about the future.

Language and Food

Many people believe that language is just something that comes natural, that everyone automatically has it. That statement is false. Speaking is something that comes natural to most, but language is not. Language is what separates different groups of people. It is something that makes it difficult to communicate with someone who has a different language than you. All in all, language can get difficult.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, ninety-nine percent of the population speaks Serbo-Croation. Serbo-Croation is also called Bosnian.  The Bosnian language uses both Latin and Cryllic letters when writing.  It also has a variety of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian base words in it.

Aside from language, another thing that can rally separate a culture is food. For the most part, everyone loves food. That being said, every culture generally has specific foods that they take pride in and almost everyone in that culture loves and brags about.  Like their language, Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine is a mix of several different areas. It has a different blend of Mediterranean, turkish, and Middle Eastern type cultures. Bosnia prides itself on its meat and its quality and richness of the food.  Everywhere you go there is always and delicacy meat entrée and all the vegetables and meats are very fresh making the meal super appealing. The next thing that the people of Bosnia and also the people who visit love is the wine. Its location makes it perfect for growing grapes and plums making the wine fresh and tasty. It is not that hard to find Bosnian food here in the United States either. St. Louis has a very high population of Bosnian immigrants who opened different kinds of businesses along with restaurants. It took a little while to catch on but is becoming very popular.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

We were all given a list of countries to chose from at the beginning of the semester. We were told to chose carefully because we would be doing a lot of research on this country and it would be the basis of our major projects we had to do over the semester. I chose Bosnia and Herzegovina. I chose this country because I had never heard of it before. I thought that it would be neat to start research on a country that I knew absolutely nothing about. I guess I will find out really soon.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the southeastern region on the continent of Europe. It is located on the Balkan Peninsula. It is land locked besides 12 miles of coastline on the Adriatic Sea. The countries that border Bosnia are: Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Bosnia capital and largest city is Sarajevo.  Depending on what part of Bosnia you are in is what kind of landscaping and climate you will see. The southern portion is mountainous and experiences hot summers and cold snowy winters. the northern region is relatively flat and experiences a Mediterannean climate.

Bosnia’s population is just under four million and is made up of three different ethnic groups. Those ethnic groups are:  Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croates. Bosnia has a Federal Democratic Republic in place as their government. They have three presidents in place, one from each ethnic group.  They have a Parliamentary Assembly as their legislature and a House of Peoples and a House of Representatives. 

Worldview

Everyone has a worldview. Whether you think you have one or not, you do. But what is a worldview? According to Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionay, worldview is “the way someone thinks about the world”. There are three different types of worldviews. There is the secular worldview, the spiritual worldview, and the religious worldview. Secular worldview is basically people who think that this is it.  They do not believe in any form of god. They just think that they will live this life, die, and that’s it. A person with a spiritual worldview is someone who is striving to find their purpose in life. They may not believe in a god but do believe in a “higher power”. Someone with a religious worldview knows they have meaning in life and get that meaning from the god that they worship.

Now that you know a little, and I mean a very little, about worldview I will tell you about mine. My worldview definitely falls under the religious category. I am a Christian and a firm believer in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His love for us is what I strive for, to show others that perfect love. I know that in no way I am perfect but am made perfect in the eyes of God because of the personal relationship I have with my Savior. I do believe in Heaven and Hell, and also believe that those who do not have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ will die and spend eternity in Hell because our God is a perfect, and just God and can not be in the presence of sin. It is because of this realization of people actually will go to Hell and the love that has been shown not only to me, but to all of us that it is my mission and calling to spread the news and love of Christ.

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First Post

This is my first post on my blog. This is my sophomore year at Murray State University. I am in Intercultural Communication right now.