From: Washington, D.C.
Travel Experience:
Washington, D.C.
Maryland
Texas
New Jersey
Oman
Qatar
Jam
DOB: JANUARY 2
Ethnicity: Black
Beautiful/ Loving/ Black/ Woman/ Christian/ Daughter/ Student/ Air Force/ American/ Serious/ Laughter/ Dependable/ Detailed/ Single/ Sister/ Advocate/ Justice/ Sensitive/ Social & Human Services/ Thinker/ World Changer/ Prosperous
AREAS OF STRENGTH:
Tolerance for Ambiguity/ Behavioral Flexibility/ Empathy--I am at an intermediate level with these areas although some may be higher/lower than others. In my tolerance level, I may not feel comfortable in unknown environments but I adjust to my surroundings (Corbitt, n.d.) while seeking to understand the environment. I aim to be cordial and not show any signs of fear or judgment. I seek to behave in such a way that would let the other person know that I'm not going to dismiss them but I want to understand them. In my profession, working with Medicaid clients, I experience people of various cultures and not all of them are English-speaking. We both try to get a grasp of what the other person is explaining because there is not always an interpreter to translate. I consider myself to be very empathetic toward others in seeking to understand what makes a person make a certain decision. I want to know "another persons perspective". (Corbitt, n.d.)
NEEDS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
Communicative Awareness/ Knowledge Discovery/ Respect for Others--I am at a basic level in these following areas. As stated above, there are areas in which I am higher/lower than in others. I seek to understand verbal and non-verbal conventions (Corbitt, n.d.) at the time of the conversation with someone of a different culture but may not spend as much time as I should or try to think in different ways un order to communicate effectively. At times, I may feel that the communication needs to be cut short because neither party is understanding the other. I believe that this goes right into knowlege discovery, which I'm very basic in, because I have not taken the time to obtain the knowledge of other cultures (Corbitt, n.d.). I know that at my job, the second most prevalent community is the Spanish speaking community but I have yet to brush up on any Spanish learned in the past or even learning new terms and forms of culture. While I have a level of respect for everyone, I am not as open and ready to suspend my believe about my own culture (Corbitt, n.d.) in certain instances. If there is any action or belief that goes against my own moralistic or faith-based view, I am not open to change but I do respect the choices of others.
