As people migrate or four different places across the world, they interact with diverse people from different cultural backgrounds. During intercultural interaction, people usually experience great challenges in intercultural communication and social interaction.
Given the challenges of intercultural communication and interaction, tourists usually conduct cultural reconnaissance of places they intend to visit so that they gain some cultural knowledge. Among other cultural elements, tourists normally learn major terms in a given cultural language to enhance their communication with people in certain tourist destinations. To enhance understanding of cross-cultural experiences that tourists undergo, this essay analyses an interview of a tourist, Suleiman Shaban.
Suleiman Shaban is a tourist that the writer met at a tourist resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Suleiman Shaban is a tourist who originated from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He is a middle-aged man of 35 years who is a businessperson in Dubai. His racial background is Arab while his religion is Islam.
Suleiman Shaban speaks Arabic as his native language. During the interview, which took about three hours, S. Shaban (personal communication, August 22, 2013) informs the writer that he came to New Jersey as a tourist because he likes the United States. Suleiman Shaban confesses that he is touring the United States for the first time and that he has stayed for about a month in New Jersey. Thus, given his temporary visit to the United States, Suleiman Shaban qualifies as a candidate for the interview.
From the interview, the writer learned that Suleiman Shaban is visiting the United States for the first time and has never been to any other country in the world. This implies that Suleiman Shaban has no experience in intercultural communication and interaction. Throughout his life, Suleiman Shaban has been in the United Arab Emirates, where the dominant culture is Arab while the native language is Arabic.
Since Suleiman Shaban understands Arab culture and speaks Arabic, he is experiencing great challenges in intercultural commutation. S. Shaban (personal communication, August 22, 2013) admits that he was shocked to note that thumbs up gesture are an okay sign in the United States while it is an offensive sign in the United Arab Emirates. In his experience, Suleiman Shaban felt offended when people showed him a thumbs up gesture.
As Suleiman Shaban has never been to the United States, he has never interacted with Americans until his visit to New Jersey. Although Suleiman Shaban asserts that he likes the United States, he had to make adjustments in terms of language and dress code.
Since he knows how to speak Arabic language only, Suleiman Shaban had to learn English for him to communicate effectively with Americans. S. Shaban (personal communication, August 22, 2013) says that “Americans are friendly and welcoming,” since they taught him how to communicate using English and gestures.
The treatment that business people gave him in New Jersey was very welcoming and better than the one that Arabs provide to visitors in Dubai. Additionally, Suleiman Shaban was surprised to learn that the American culture provides freedom of dressing, unlike the Arab culture that dictates what men and women wear. Although Suleiman Shaban admires being in the United States, he misses attending mosque with fellow Muslims.
The experience of Suleiman Shaban as a tourist from the United Arab Emirates stretched the comfort zone of the writer because his experience was not typical. Many Arabs do not like the American culture because it has Christian beliefs and norms, but Suleiman Shaban does admire it. Even though Suleiman Shaban has not stayed in New Jersey for more than a month, he cherishes the American culture because the Americans are friendly and welcoming.
Additionally, since Suleiman Shaban only knows the Arabic language, his visit to New Jersey has made him learn English and communicate using American gestures. Therefore, owing to the unique experience of Suleiman Shaban, the writer needs to establish factors that make Arabs like or dislike the American culture with the view of improving intercultural relationships between Americans and Arabs.
Reference
S. Shaban (Personal Communication, August 22, 2013). Atlantic City.