By Jillian Medina
I will meet my host family on the first weekend of July, and on the 7th, I will meet my fellow interns and Córdoba Coordinators for our orientation. These will be my first encounters that I engage with in conjunction with my research question: how high-context cultures interact with a municipality. To fully grasp the characteristics of a high-context society, I need to participate in as many social activities as I can, including markets, church services, and my program’s cultural events. Through these experiences, I will observe how casual conversations portray expressive body language and facial expressions. Even with people I’m just passing by or meeting for the first time, I expect to have longer, meaningful discussions in Argentina’s high-context environment.
I am a Cuban-Colombian-American who has yet to visit a South American country and perfect my proficiency in Spanish. I expect these limitations to affect my involvement with my environment; however, through intense preparation and private tutoring lessons, I feel confident to interact with my surrounding community. However, I do have anxiety about the safety risk since I have never traveled alone before. I understand this may mean I will need a longer adjustment period to feel comfortable with my peers and host family. Nevertheless, I hope my experience will end with more international connections, life-long friends, and valuable mentors.
Most research has focused on low-context, Western cultures that emphasize written policies, transparency, and individual accountability, prioritizing formal procedures rather than relational processes. I believe the lived experiences and communication styles of individuals in high-context cultures, who rely on body language and relationship-building, are underrepresented in municipal systems. For example, my mentor, Prof. Dra.. Andrea Vissiani highlights connecting Córdoba, Argentina’s municipality, to the world. I will join this effort to improve Córdoba’s outreach and cultivated network to communicate and learn from other cultures.
Overall, I plan to attend local cafes, the Córdoba University’s library, and parks to study with my peers and hopefully meet fellow students. Additionally, I’ve reached out to my intern group traveling to Córdoba, I’d love to stay close with this group and travel around the city for the first time with everyone. Additionally, my internship will have me working with the Director of International Relations Municipality in Córdoba, Argentina, interacting with professional and political figures like ambassadors, lawyers, etc. Through this environment, I could adopt the advocate role to assist in local and current issues that Córdoba may be dealing with. Usually, I would gravitate towards a more organizational or managerial role in communities; however, because of my ignorance and inexperience with South America and independent travel, I do not want to overreach. As an advocate, I can learn the processes to tackle international political news. Through my FSU CPO3303 Summer A course, Politics in Latin America, I have briefly researched the conservative and liberal struggles prevalent in Argentina’s public affairs. After these engagements, I would have familiarized myself with the municipality dynamics within a high-context culture and how I can relate that to the U.S.’s low-context society.
HSF House Blogs 