CQ Journal: Cultural Experience Assignment Instructions
Overview
Throughout the course, you will submit 4 journal entries which will guide you to reflect on
your cultural intelligence (CQ) scores, set measurable goals and action steps for
improving your CQ, and participate in activities and experiences which will help to
practice effective intercultural communication. With CQ, there is always more to learn
and room to grow, and this course is an opportunity to practice exercising each of the CQ
capabilities. You can use your journal entries to track your progress through the journey
of this course, but hopefully you will feel inspired to continue to develop your CQ beyond
this course.
Instructions
Your journal entry should meet the following requirements.
Length: 400-800 words
Your journal entry should be written in paragraph form with proper grammar and spelling.
Thoughts should be well-organized and cohesive.
Your journal entry should be submitted on the template provided.
For this journal, each student will need to seek to have a cross-cultural experience and
engage with people from a different ethno-linguistic background than your own. The
purpose of this assignment is to have a new experience with a culture that is unfamiliar,
practice developing their CQ capabilities, and take note of similarities and differences in
cultural values.
Here are a few suggestions of experiences to have (note: students should choose one
option from this list):
Visit the home of a friend from another country. Ask them to teach you how to make food
from that country, or how to play a sport which is unique to that country. Talk together
about the differences in your two cultures and challenges of interacting with people who
are different. (Note: It’s important that students seek out a new experience. This option is
not meant for students to visit a home of a close friend where they have been often or
have been around the culture or family for a long time. Perhaps an acquaintance that
you’d like to get to know better would provide a new experience).
Attend a cultural celebration or festival sponsored by a local cultural association.
Learn about the various traditions. (Look for Greek Festivals, Indian Cultural
Festivals, Chinese New Year celebrations, etc.)
Visit a local non-Christian place of worship (Mosque, Hindu temple, Buddhist
temple, etc.). Respectfully ask for a tour and ask for someone to share a little
about their religion, the meanings of certain artifacts or statues you see, and the
purpose of the practices you witness.
Attend a Christian worship gathering where most of the attendees have an ethno-
linguistic background that is different than your own. (Many communities have
churches who worship in a foreign language.)
Visit a local ethnic restaurant (note: Taco Bell, Panda Express, Chipotle, Chuy's, and
other American chain restaurants that serve "international food" do not count as ethnic
restaurants. Find a place where the chef and most of the staff are from the country from
where the food originates, and other people of that same ethnicity go there to get food
from home). Talk with the staff about where they are from and ask them about how they
make their most iconic dishes. Ask about the role food plays in their culture. **This only
counts if you actually engage in conversations other than ordering food!**
After you have completed your cultural experience, use the writing prompt below to
complete your journal. Your journal entry should be at least 400 words and should
include an answer to each of the major sections/headings of this prompt (in bold). The
bullet points under each heading are suggestions for topics to consider.
Describe your cultural experience.
Where did you go?
Who did you talk to?
What do you see, hear, smell, taste, feel?
Did anything surprise you?
What did you most enjoy about the experience?
What was the most difficult part?
Discuss what you learned about the culture represented through the
experience.
What was similar to your own culture?
What was different?
What cultural values did you notice?
How can your CQ help you in cross-cultural experiences such as these (be
specific)?
How has your awareness of cultures in general or the specific culture represented
changed because of your experience?
Alternative Assignment Option for Journal 3
We know that some students live in places and situations which may prevent them from
having such a cross-cultural experience. While we encourage you to do some more
research in your community because many students are surprised to find that there is
more diversity than they expect, we do understand that there are limitations. If you
cannot find a cross-cultural experience like the ones listed above, you may, with the prior
permission of your instructor, use a digital experience as a substitute. You may watch a
movie that was produced in a foreign country (think Bollywood, Chinese film, French
Film, etc.), or watch a movie about a person who crosses cultures. Please contact your
professor if you would like to use a digital option for this journal. For your journal entry,
you should write a 400-800 word review of the movie. You will discuss the elements of
culture you found to be unique in the media (especially focus on cultural value
orientations, the cross-cultural challenges experienced by the character, and the ways
you would apply cultural intelligence to be able to engage that culture effectively).
Cultural Experience
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission
Cultural Experience
Indian Holi Festival Experience
Indian Holi Festivals is a festival of colors originating in India and celebrated by Indians
across the world. It is marked by throwing color powder to celebrate the triumph of good over evil
and the dominance of right over wrong motives in society. The festival signifies the arrival of
spring, and although it's a Hindu festival, many people join in the celebration, and it has been
expanded to other nations, including the USA. The dates of Holi celebrations comprise March 28,
and 29 depending on when the spring begins. The celebrations can be extended to several days
beforehand (Kidangoor, 2020).
In March this year, my friends and I decided to experience cultural celebrations different
from ours, such as Halloween, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Sandeep, one of our classmates, decided
to join him in their Holi festivals marked in March every year. Because the event is here in the US,
we decided to go to Spanish Fork for a remarkable and compelling experience. The event takes
place in Utah, outside the city of Spanish Fork in the local Hare Krishna Temple. During the event,
I saw and felt a lot of things. For instance, for days leading to the festival, people gathered wood
and made large bonfires lit on the eve of the Holi. The fires burn late into the night while people
dance and celebrate in the wee hours of the morning. I felt the life and energy of people during the
celebrations. We were welcomed with open arms and smear of colors allowing us to blend in with
the crowd.
We spoke to the Holi head of the temple about the significance of the festivals, the colors,
and other artifacts, including Lord Krishna's statute and Vishnu. The Holi head revealed to us that
the period signified Indians are blotting out castes, creeds, discrimination, and prejudices evident
in the society to allow good triumphing over evil. What was more surprising is that Indians
celebrate Holi, but it's suitable for a bond of any relationship. They were joined by diverse
communities, including Chinese, Asians, whites, and African Americans. The festival marked
repairing broken relationships and allowing diverse communities to interact and learn about the
festival. What was most enjoying was the continuous dancing, singing, and holding hands while
smearing colors upon each other, making it difficult to recognize one from another? There were
also Hind foods and artifacts to exploit. The most challenging part was when I was forced to throw
away my sunglasses because the colors ruined them. Moreover, it was challenging to locate each
other since we wandered off dancing with other people in the crown (Kidangoor, 2020).
The celebrations marked by singing, dancing, and holding hands were similar to my
culture, particularly the Easter and Halloween festivals where people wear masks. Hence, it's
challenging to identify someone. What was different was evident in the fact that people of same-
sex held hands during hand-holding, and therefore men were not allowed to touch women during
the celebrations. This was different with American celebrations since women and men can hold
hands regardless of whether the festival is religious or secular. There was a lot of respect,
inclusiveness, love, and forgiveness during the festive period since good must triumph over evil
(Editorial Staff, 2021).
CQ would help me with cross-cultural experiences such as the Indian Holi Festival because
I can compromise and accommodate other people's views, beliefs, and traditions. My awareness
of culture has transformed after the Holi festival experience since my understanding has increased.
Moreover, I have to understand that while cultures are different, most of them have a significant
role in bonding, inclusiveness, respect, and equality for all, essential attributes for humanity.
References
Editorial Staff. (2021, March 29). 27 Interesting Facts About Holi. Retrieved from The Fact File:
https://thefactfile.org/holi-facts/
Kidangoor, A. (2020, March 9). Here's Everything You Need to Know About Holi, the . Retrieved
from Time: https://time.com/5799354/what-is-holi/
