From the Critical Incident Activity in class, I observed that there are many sides and opinions regarding what the best solution in any critical incident would be. It was interesting to see how everyone in my group viewed the main person’s behavior differently in our case study and proposed different solutions. Regarding my personal behavior, I now recognize that the behavior I project in other homes (specifically back in my parents’ home country Honduras) may be normal to me, but new to my relatives or others who live in that country. For instance, similar to one of the case studies in class, I tend to close my door after dinner; however, in Honduras, closing the door often involved my grandma opening it to ask if I’m okay. Reflecting on this, I now understand why she would react this way. To me, closing the door is normal; however, to my grandmother, her home customs cause her to think that an action like closing the door may suggest the person in the room is feeling upset or bothered. Thus, examining case studies in class and discussing them with peers taught me that in the process of trying to understand critical incidents, one is able to deepen their understanding of the various cultural factors that affect intercultural communication
