I have lived in Saudi Arabia for 18 years and I have recently moved to Lebanon to continue with my university studies. During this transition, I have realised how the Arabic culture can differ from one country to the other. I have observed many dissimilarities between both environments.
First of all, the most dramatic change was the climatic differences. Usually, when you think about the weather in Saudi Arabia the first thought that comes to mind is the heat, dryness and the sandstorms. It is indeed very contrasting to the weather in Lebanon where all 4 seasons of the year interchange. In Saudi Arabia only two seasons occur during the year : the extreme heat of summer and the boneshaking cold of winter. In Lebanon, the weather is more dynamic and alternates seamlessly without drastic changes. Climate is an important factor which affects a country’s atmosphere.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is a pioneer in architectural technology. The cities of Saudi Arabia have become a symbol of modernisation and technological development. They are based on enormous highways surrounded by high skyscrapers which makes it look empty in terms of population since no one in seen on the streets. Each city is separated by sandy deserts and vast wastelands. However, in a small country like Lebanon, the areas are very close to each other so the Lebanese land has a contrast between villages cities. The cities are a crowded urban environment. So in a way a Saudi Arabia city is the opposite of a Lebanese city.
Another dissimilarity distinguishing both countries is in clothing. In Lebanon, clothing is influenced by many cultures, anywhere from the west to arabic and islamic influence can be seen in the style of clothing. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia clothing is based on traditional beliefs, in which women should wear the “Abaya” and men dress up in a white “thob”.
2. From my personal experience being Lebanese and travelling for education to Saudi Arabia has enriched my beliefs and I have a wider understanding of culture. Seeing the differences between the two countries allowed me to form my opinion, and therefore have ethics that are a mixture of two cultures. So, I believe that intercultural communication can be improved by the experience of different aspects of each culture, which I got to experience through education. That’s why I encourage travel for education because it’s an effective way to experience life in another country.
3. The benefits of intercultural communication, is it taps into the understanding of other people’s everyday life, in which we can compare their life to ours, and as humans we always learn by discovering what is different, so in that case we would learn other cultures’ lifestyle and compare it with our own for improvement, a great example of this case is; the Italian Renaissances period followed by the French Renaissances period in which the French kingdom was heavily influenced by the Italians, and they adopted the same architecture and lifestyle as their Italian counterparts, which elevated the French kingdom to an empire.
4. One of the most evident barriers to intercultural communication is the language barrier. And also, different beliefs play a huge role, some cultures cannot be at peace due to different religious and spiritual beliefs. And finally, the geography, the airplane and the radio have brought humans closer together but this invention did not exist a century ago, so some cultures were never able to mix due to their geographic locations
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