Instead, differences are meant to educate people of the diversity of the world around us and to be more respectful and considerate of each other. Indeed I have learnt a lot of things from her.
On to nonverbal communication, I have also observed that Durga would look intently in my eye whenever we talk which somehow tells me how much of a sincere person she actually is. During conversations, when we'd talk about American culture, she never fails to give a comforting nod -- one which somehow tells me it is okay to talk about our culture, our liberal views, about areas in our culture which I know is distinctly different from hers. I also observed how she always keeps her tone in a mild, courteous manner regardless of who she talks to -- may it be a professor or simply a classmate.
Cultural Sensitivity
At this point, I wish to integrate Hall's proxemics, particularly the four distances people keep during social situations -- intimate, personal, social, and public (Hall in Matsumoto 6-7). When we'd walk in the campus, I observed the public distance Durga maintains. Durga also keeps social distance whenever she speaks to our professors or to classmates who are not part of our inner circle (those we don't regularly talk to/hang-out with) while I sense the personal distance she gives whenever our group hangs-out. We'd all sit near each other as we laugh together and Durga has no problem joining in.
Using Hofstede's framework, I wish to focus on the individualism dimension ("Individualism" par 1) as this is very relevant in Durga's case. I see Durga having no problem joining in groups. She respects how individualistic some of our classmates...
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