Intercultural Communication - Personal

Hawaii is definitely a melting pot of cultures. I love being surrounded by diversity and having friends of different ethnic backgrounds. So when it came to considering Creighton I have to admit I was concerned about the culture shock. Needless to say, when I arrived here in Omaha and people learned that I’m from Hawaii their initial reaction was “…then what made you want to come all the way out here?”
Back home, I felt comfortable knowing that a lot of us locals were socially accepting. On the day I left the island I was ready to encounter discrimination at some point while I’m out here in the Midwest, as I knew I was going to be in a predominantly white environment. However, it was reassuring to know that I wasn’t going to be the only person coming from Hawaii. College counselors, alumni, and upperclassmen reassured me that Creighton was a good community and I stuck with that instinct. I was surprised to discover a decent population of international students and thought it was great that they are here. I’ve gotten to know a few of them and learn about their backgrounds, which were all interesting.
I could sense that Creighton strives to encourage intercultural relations. I have attended a few events hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and I also joined the International Student Association. Not only have I engaged in learning about ethnic cultures but I have also been open to communication with people from the mainland. Back home, being Caucasian was a minority and here in Omaha it’s vice versa with Asians being a limited population. I’m glad I was able to find some great new friends here from other states and it’s always been fun hanging out together.
I noticed that group polarization tends to occur with certain people but school sponsored social events, retreats, and service trips serve a good purpose in enhancing multicultural acceptance. As mentioned in the definitional blog entry, all of us have our responsibility in order to encourage more intercultural communication. It could help break stereotypes and bring more harmony into the community. An individual can serve as one role model but to represent as a group could make more of a difference.