I didn’t know what to expect before the Story Circles activity began. I felt ambivalent about joining a Zoom in the middle of my Sunday afternoon, and I was nervous about talking to people I didn’t know. However, the activity exceeded expectations and made me glad that I got over my nerves enough to participate.

The first thing I can’t stop thinking about is how technology makes it possible for us to communicate—to connect with—people who live on another continent. How cool! And not only to see the Egyptian students on the screen but to be able to discover similarities, shared interests, and to have a conversation with them in a smaller setting, it really blew my mind. During the introduction part, I thought for sure I’d be the only person to say they like books, but so many people said it before me that I almost felt unoriginal introducing myself as a bookworm. And the Egyptian girl in my group (which was otherwise populated by GEM students) prefaced her story by saying she was an introvert, so I immediately felt a point of connection with her.

While the breakout rooms were awkward, especially at the beginning, there’s something really powerful about being able to give people space to share about themselves and their experiences. I learned things about my classmates that I otherwise would have never known, and I shared about my own experiences in ways I might not otherwise have done. the flashback part of the activity was great because it promoted active listening and made me consider what stuck out to me the most about someone’s story and why.

Overall, this activity made me realize that sometimes we overthink intercultural communication and that sometime just jumping into a conversation with someone and seeing where it takes you is the best way to have a genuine connection. As a society, I think we generally assume to be different from those who are not from our own culture and this prevents us from being able to see similarities in a way which we otherwise might. But what struck me the most today is that the AUC students were just like us, just as curious, just as dedicated, just as intimidated by being in a breakout room with people they didn’t know, and just as eager to learn about the world. So rather than focusing on differences, discovering similarities brings people together in really positive ways—even over Zoom!

In relation to the readings we discussed in class, this activity reminded me of the frameworks for reflective writing, except instead of writing, we were speaking. There was a fair amount of reflection that went into the stories everyone told, and then once the spoke aloud, everyone else then reflected on what was said. Additionally, it was interesting to consider the role of communicative relativity in this setting, as everyone was very aware of coming from different cultures/backgrounds, but everyone was also open to preventing any misunderstandings and simply trying to appreciate people’s stories in experiences.

I’m so glad I participated in this activity, and I look forward to being able to practice intercultural communication (and active listening!) in real-world settings soon.