Before studying in an international college my opinion regarding culture was most likely around the top of the iceberg. I thought the food, language, music, dance, art, and many other aspects defined a culture. However, I never realized the full deepness of a culture, how much there is to understand, the beliefs, values, and emotions. It is interesting to recall how my perspective changed while being surrounded by international students. I never thought about how the cultures I’ve been to shape me and my personality.

I like the concept of “cultural glasses” mentioned in the TED talk. That affects a lot the interaction of people from different cultures. Also, how he said when we move to a different country we might confront, complain or conform. For me, it was interesting to look back and see what I’ve done when I moved to Portugal or China. I think I had both confront and conform, sometimes I would not be able to accept certain norms of those cultures, but with time I became more open to the new environment and adapted to the society.

I believe that intercultural competence is important. For example, having the right attitude while interacting with people, being open, curious and tolerant; being knowledgeable and having critical cultural awareness, all of these are necessary today while interacting with people coming from different cultures. I hope in this course I will learn more regarding these and other skills necessary to acquire global competence.