As we progress along the intercultural journey, we become self-reflective about habits of heart and mind and the ways these are expressed in daily life. We develop strategies for encountering change, unfamiliarity and ambiguity in creative ways. We begin to realize that what is taken, as "common sense" is really "cultural sense". Our life becomes richer and deeper for having encountered differences.
Culture is an abstraction; it cannot actually be seen or touched.... We see people acting in agreed-upon ways in the face of similar situations...we notice people moving their bodies in certain ways - making choices in their lives about where to live, what to eat, how to learn, how to work and love - in response to similar events and experiences, and say: "oh, these people belong to the same culture".
A frame of references consisting of learning patterns of behaviours, values, assumptions and meaning which are shared to varying degrees of interest, importance and awareness with members of one group.
