Cross cultural communication

p Cross cultural communication pages : 2 (Double Spaced ) language I . Field Experience Report and Feedback on Classmate 's Field Experience Report - You will need to write one 1 .5-2-page field experience report (typed , double-spaced . The report should integrate at least one idea from our course readings . Be specific in referring to the idea and cite the pages where the information can be found in the text (s ( Kramsch Claire (2003 ) Language and Culture (4th edition . New York : Oxford University Press ) Each report should be carefully proofread and demonstrate a high level of competence

in written communication

Choose your field experience from the following list and complete them in any you choose

Cultural Interview : Interview someone from another culture who is living in the US . You can ask such questions as : What surprises did you encounter when you came here ' How have you adjusted

In to accomplish the task I decided to interview my friend from Italy who arrived to the USA after having won a language competition to live and study here and whom I recently visited in Italy . So , below you may see some differences and similarities of American and Italian culture

First of all he decided to rent a car since it was more convenient than a train or other transportation vehicle . He noted that there are almost no pedestrians in the streets as everybody drives a car . Also , he stated that American people take care of their life as no other culture in the world because they have a list of emergency calls in every household and therefore are rightfully scared to death of Italian drivers . The system of driving in Italy is almost beyond American understanding . The basic difference is that Americans like lanes and pretty much expect everybody to stay in one . Italy does not work like this at all . Instead they use a surprisingly tolerant system of swerving , tail gating , and other go-as-you- driving etiquette that Americans would be driven to homicidal road rage by if it happened in the hometown . Traveling through Italy American person will never see anyone irritated or aggressive while driving . Italians just casually drive like maniacs and know that everyone else is too . Along the way they adore chatting and laughing with each other . As a huge generalization Italians are very attractive people . It felt like people are living in an Armani commercial . But as he says they smoke everywhere , all the time

As expected , he liked American food everywhere : in restaurants , in coffee shops , etc . although he was more accustomed to have a dessert and a thimble of coffee . It was quite a surprise for him to reveal that dinners last an hour or an hour and a half at most while in Italy they go on for hours . Time in general moves differently in the USA , as he says . In the USA days start earlier than according to the Italian standards . In Italy the whole country shuts down from one o 'clock to three or...