1 Intercultural Interaction
Intercultural Interaction
Dameon L. Robinson
Liberty University
COMS 624 - Intercultural Communication
Dr. Danny Roman- Gloro
June 16, 2024
Abstract
This paper summarizes an interactive discussion with a very interesting, culturally rich
Dominican man named Moises. Moises is a gentle man with a knack for hard work and music.
Moises was introduced as a coworker and has grown to be viewed as a mentor to everyone
around. In an attempt to discover what makes Moises tick, I asked him about his upbringing and
culture. Some of the information learned was surprising, and some was not so surprising. This
paper will discover new insights on establishing a relationship through uncovering cultural
similarities and differences between two individuals.
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Intercultural Interactions
Moises may come off as having a rough exterior. Having met him as coworkers at a
distribution company, it was a safe assumption. That type of blue-collar work tends to have
plenty of men who are only focused on working hard and going home. Sure there are friendships
that are formed, and there are friendly conversations amongst coworkers that have built common
ground. However, working ten hour shifts tends to make folks want to get in and get out. I have
always been one of those individuals. I started working in the warehouse not too long ago and
that is where I met Moises.
In a society where the job market is very competitive, I found myself desperate to find
work. In the midst of finishing up my masters degree at Liberty University, all I needed was a
job to last until then. Luckily, a position opened up for a material handled at a company my
father works. The warehouse was a mess, so it was no surprise that I would be working in
maintenance and helping to clean up the aisles. Moises was responsible for the housekeeping of
the entire warehouse. I found myself annoyed with Moises as a first impression. It seemed as
though he was not up for much conversation other than telling me which aisle needed to be
cleaned first. We did not initially work in the same area of the warehouse. He would use the
forklift to bring me the dumpster as I cleared out aisle after aisle. I got tired of walking around to
find him to empty the dumpers, so I asked if there was a solution for us to communicate. He then
gave me his phone number. I did not know at the time but that was for the first time he
introduced me to his culture.
After I was able to call Moises to let him know when I needed anything, we started to
have more personal conversations. He would ask me a new personal question each day, before I
even picked him as my subject for this assignment. Moises often questioned if I had a girlfriend,
Intercultural Interaction 3
my future ambitions, and how my father was doing. After he found out I had seven sisters, his
eyes lit up and said he also had grown up in a large household. In his household, Moises’ family
were very religious. They grew up poor and their bond was held together by their faith and
religion. “Keep the faith,” his father always told him.
Growing up, he saw a lot. He didn’t particularly get too much into detail, however I
picked up some jarring similarities. I grew up in a large household as well, and music was
always a big outlet for my siblings and me. Moises shared this same experience. His father was a
part time musician, so whenever there was no food to eat, or there was fear of losing the home,
his family sang together. I often overhear him singing as he works or in the break room. He
shared some of his favorite foods, sancocho (stew) being his favorites. I was jealous. Being
African-American, and a picky eater, I have not had much traditional African foods. Whereas
Moises has been back and forth from the Dominican Republic a bevy of times, I’ve yet to visit
Africa and tasted food directly from the source. Baseball is a huge staple in Dominican culture
(Roorda, 2014). Moises wanted to be a professional player just like many of his brothers and
friends growing up. His stories reminded me of trying to be a professional basketball player
when I was a child. We bonded over our little knowledge of the others’ preferred sport.
One of the most remarkable things about Moises is his work ethic. Oftentimes when I see
elderly men working, I often pray for a miracle of an early retirement. Moises informed me that
he was sent to the Iraq war from the Dominican Republic, and the horrors he’s seen had rendered
him with post-traumatic stress disorder. All he does for the most part is work to put his son
through medical school. I asked him how he’s able to maintain a sense of pride and culture in
who he is while having such a rough work-life balance. He informed me that he carries his
culture everywhere with him, so it is always with him. Samovar (2017) mentions having a sense
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of identity, a complex and multifaceted concept that makes up who someone is (p. 244). The
songs, the smell of sancocho, and the images of all the church folk he used to see are what keeps
him going. Even the wool hat he wears everyday has a small Dominican flag as the design.
It was interesting to speak with Moises for multiple reasons. Firstly, I was surprised at the
similarities we shared in our respective cultures. My family also played music relatable to us
whenever we were cleaning the house or going through a rough time. We also shared Christian
values as well. Moises expressed that his favorite thing to do besides work is spend time with his
son. I went for a shot in the dark and asked Moises for his favorite Bible verse which he replied
with: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn
from it" (Proverbs 22:6) (New International Bible). Moises truly embodied this verse by
sacrificing so much of his time to work to support his son. What he does on a daily basis in order
to support his family is Christlike in the sense that he never asks for anything in return.
Conclusions
Moises revealed to me that most of the time he sings in Spanish. As he said, he carries
that culture with him everywhere he goes. Every single day he carries around a million miles on
his body, rich culture, and a pretty decent singing voice. I learned not only about a remarkable
person, but the importance of viewing culture through an open, unclouded lens (Samovar, 2017).
I was able to learn about Moises while relating his culture to mine. People should be more
encouraged to embrace other cultures and celebrate diversity and immersion.
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References
Roorda, E. P., Derby, L., & González, R. (Eds.). (2014). The Dominican Republic Reader:
History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv11hpqs5
New International Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible.
Samovar, L., Porter, R., McDaniel, E., & Roy, C. (2017), Communication between cultures.
Cengage Learning
