The book gives three approaches to Intercultural Communication - Social Science, Interpretive, and Critical. Each approach has their pros and cons. Each are essential in having a clear view of a particular culture. Also immersing oneself in a culture is the best way to gain a better appreciation and understanding of another view point or way of life. Standing as an outsider is only going to create greater mysticism and lack of understanding.
I spoke with my friend who is a Latvian. Helvijs Vigners is a native Latvian who is attending school here in Utah. I spoke with Helvijs about what his first impressions were when coming to the U.S. He had previously served a mission for the LDS church in Lithuania along side fellow missionaries that happened to be American, he mentioned that this helped prepare him for most of the quirks Americans have. However, he felt that in the U.S. friendship is viewed and valued differently. In Latvia friends are strong and last forever. However, in the U.S. people pretend they are your friend, while in reality they are just posing or being nice. This really made me think about my relationships and the type of friend I was to those around me.
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