Carlos Baltodano

February **, ****

Intercultural Autobiography Assignment

My development in becoming more aware of intercultural communication and its

applications has accelerated as a result of this course. I have come to understand the challenges

faced by expatriates and how to better prepare those employees that are tasked with interacting

with foreign cultures to be successful. This course has supported me in the course of acquiring

more knowledge regarding intercultural communication be introducing to me the methods and

theories that experts in the field utilize in order to construct corporate training policies to support

their expatriated employees. For example, the Bennett Development model illustrates in an easy

to understand presentation to various stages that an expatriate may experience when assimilating

into a new culture. This tool enables trainers and employee support staff to better support and

prepare their employees.

My academic background includes a degree in economics and a Juris Doctor focused on

corporate law. In addition, my professional background is in human resources, corporate

regulatory compliance, and in research and writing. Moreover, my cultural background is

composed of Nicaraguan and New Orleans cultural traits. My mother, father, and all of my

siblings are from Nicaragua and I was born and raised in New Orleans. My mother and father

maintain the same cultural customs of their home country and we exclusively communicate in

Spanish amongst ourselves. My background and learning has affected my interaction with people

of different cultural backgrounds by helping me appreciate the diversity of cultures that exist.

Moreover, I understand the pride that members of foreign cultures can harbor and emphasize my

efforts to remain respectful when engaging with individuals that affiliate themselves with foreign

cultures. In my current professional career, I engage in work activities with several colleagues

who are employees as a result of H-1B visas. Therefore, my professional background has

affected my interaction with members of foreign cultures by teaching me how to work together

in team efforts in the most efficient means possible with members of foreign cultures.

This course has helped to reframe the awareness of myself be leading me to discover my

own cultural biases. For example, I did not realize that the form of government I believe in and

the economic structure I support are as a result of my own favoritism towards the structures I live

in within the United States. In addition, this course has aided me in becoming more self-aware by

introducing me to cultural specific traits and how small details can be inadvertently overlooked

that later cause significant hardships. For example, the methods that certain cultures prefer to be

communicated to is a trait that I personally never took into consideration. The culture I live and

work in prefers eye contact and to the point conversation. I assumed that this approach is the best

method when attempting to engage members of foreign cultures in business activity. However,

this course has taught me that I am making assumption due to my cultural bias and that I need to

make more of an effort to conduct research on the cultures of foreign clients or coworkers that I

am tasked to interact with. I plan to utilize the lessons learned in this workshop to enhance my

effectiveness in intercultural communication and to apply the lessons I learned in future self-

initiated education research.

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