Communication in business (Logbook) - Coursework Example

Place Activity undertaken (what happened) What I learned (what does it mean) How and when can I apply this knowledge 11 August London I grew upin Kuwait and was eighteen years old before I had a chance to leave my home country and visit somewhere new. As you imagine, I was quite nervous. I flew to the UK to get a good education. I only knew a few things that I had read in books and seen in the movies. I knew that people from the UK could be friendly, but I also knew they could be tough. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect.

The trip was happening in March so I had packed a lot of summer clothing, expecting the temperature in the UK to be the same as in Kuwait. When I arrived at the London airport however I began to have a bit of culture shock. Everything was written in English—not in Arabic! I heard lots of people around me speaking a language I didn’t understand. I went to a shop to buy some food and I could see all the magazines were different and there were many different types of food available that weren’t available in Kuwait.

When I walked out of the airport I was surprised to see that the temperature was much colder than I was expecting. I learned that the world is very different than you imagine it to be. Eventually I got used to these surprises. I began to keep an open mind and to think carefully about the things around me. I began to realize that there are many different countries in the world with their own traditions and cultures. Often when you encounter these differences you have involuntary reactions and can be confused.

It is important to slow down and consider your actions and why you perceive things the way you do. Date Place Activity undertaken (what happened) What I learned (what does it mean) How and when can I apply this knowledge 24 October London I remember the first time that I visited a friend in the UK. Where I come from this is often a great honour but here it was taken lightly, even casually. When I came in the front door, I asked if I should take my shoes off, but I was told not to it, that it didn't matter.

That struck me as unusual. When we had dinner my friends' sisters had many opinions about politics and other subjects. I was quite shocked by how forthright they were. One of them got into an argument about a new story. “You're wrong about that, Dad,” she said to her father. In my country we would never tolerate a child speaking like that to a parent. I was very shocked. We were offered alcohol to drink with dinner. I don't drink alcohol, but I felt it would be impolite to refuse. I wasn’t sure what to do.

Afterwards, when I thought of the dinner I considered all the things that had happened. I began to understand that there were two cultures at the dinner table interacting with one another. I need to keep an open mind about social situations. I need to remember that different people interact in different ways in this culture. Judging is not especially helpful.