One of the key aspects of our voyage is to learn about intercultural communication and respect. Culture is comprised of
We will spend about 1/3 of our Global Studies course exploring intercultural communication, including the difficulties that arise when cultures clash or misunderstand one another. On our voyage, we will encounter many aspects of culture in which superficial forms or appearances represent deeper differences between our UU culture and those we visit.
In Vietnam, we acknowledge the deep scars of the “American War” that devastated that country two generations ago, deeply appreciating the fact that we are welcome there as visitors. Visiting Hindu and Buddhist temples, we might wear long pants instead of shorts. Visiting Islamic countries like Morocco and to some extent Malaysia, we respect local customs that ask us to wear a head scarf in some circumstances. In Kenya and South Africa and Ghana, we acknowledge the deep wounds of racist colonialism and recognize the ongoing consequences that reverberate to this day.
Potentially more painful is the cultural dissonance we might feel in our own shipboard community. Many of our students come from the US Deep South and are politically conservative. They’ve chosen to embrace the world on Semester at Sea, so they’re engaged and open. Yet they may bring cultural attitudes that rub us the wrong way. Some of the Lifelong Learners on our previous voyages were politically conservative too, and more vocal about it than students, at least with me.
On our last voyage in 2023, we had some powerful “learning moments” when Israeli and Palestinian students and visitors argued vehemently over a period of days as we sailed to Jordan and the Suez Canal.
Please hold our hosts and companions in your heart.
Sometimes it’s helpful to me to translate the phrase “How could they possibly believe that?” in my head to “I wonder what they mean by that?”
