X-Culture: Conquering the Invisible Barriers

Guest Blogger: Tara Pam, Nathan M. Bisk College of Business Student

X-Culture has been a fun, enlightening, and challenging experience for me and I am somewhat relieved that is it over. This project has helped my growth further in regards to the way I relate to people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

The biggest challenge in this project for me was communication and complete dedication. Don’t get me wrong, I was devoted to completing this project but with so much work going on for me in other classes and me joining into the group late, I feel I that I wasn’t completely engaged in the entire process. However, if the situation was different and I was to do X-Culture over again, I would undertake more of an informal leadership position. I felt the need to hold back a little during this project because I didn’t want to cause any division or friction between the group being the “new girl” and all, so I decided to work on my part to the best of my ability and get on well with all my team members. When I absolutely felt the need to confront one of my team mates about the project, I did through a private Facebook message because I didn’t want him to feel attacked or that I put him on the spot. This way the issue was resolved peacefully and it made our group stronger.

In all honesty, I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with. Each team member was fully dedicated to their duties and pulled through till the end of the project. They were kind, welcoming and, most importantly, respectful to each other and from what I know, there were no arguments or disagreements related to the project that weren’t resolved. From the sharing the workload, to having each individual sections completed by the set deadline, to submitting the final report, everyone was on board and very committed.

X-Culture to me was like a quest and I feel greatly rewarded after accomplishing the challenge. I feel that I have actually learned skills that I would put to use in my near future because after I graduate, I would be dealing with suppliers and manufacturers from different countries in my line of work as a fashion designer. I am proud to have been a participant in X-Culture and now I look forward to my endeavors in the international business world.