Claire London CAPS #6

As I am nearing the end of my freshman year at UNL, it is fun to think about all the different people I have met and gotten to build a relationship with.  More interestingly, the amount of different cultures I have come in contact with is pretty impressive.  Intercultural relationships are very important to maintain because you can find commonality with those who differ from you, all while learning more about their culture.  Martin and Nakayama define intercultural relationships as "relationships that are formed between individuals from different cultures" (391). 

At the beginning of the spring semester, I moved to Pound Hall to live with a friend.  Pound Hall is known for being a foreign exchange dorm where a lot of people from different nations choose to live.  Here is where I met Michelle.  Michelle is from China and lives on my floor.  We both share our femininity, our age (19), and a love for talking.  I have benefitted greatly from Michelle and I's friendship.  I've learned about her life back home and how schooling is different in China then it is here in the US.  A conflict in our relationship is that there is occasionally a language barrier. 

Baxter's 1993 model suggests that relationships are both personal and contextual.  I interact with Michelle on a day to day basis in the hallways of our dorm but I  would also be comfortable talking with her in a different context ie. a classroom or dinning hall.  Baxter's 1993 model also explains that there are many dynamics of relationships.  I think Michelle and I's relationship fits in with the Differences-Similarities Dialectic.  Martin and Nakayama say that "some individuals are attracted to people simply because they have a different cultural background" (399).  I am very interested to hear about Michelle's life back at her home because it differs so much from mine. 

These dialectics help me understand Michelle and I's relationship even better.  Just because we are so different in so many ways doesn't change the way I view our friendship, but it does change the dynamic of the relationship. 

For lovers of Seinfeld, here is a video of intercultural relationships among people in the workplace.  Not intended for creating any stereotypes; this is for your pure entertainment and to shed some light on how intercultural relationships could benefit us or ruin us (humorously, in this case).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcFB0NZHLo

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill