Intercultural Adventures
By Aaron Quigley

Amanda Martinez, '07, left her Puerto Rican family and the warmth of southern California when she came to Whitworth. Laura Sanchez, '07, said goodbye to the beaches in Southern Spain to study at Whitworth. Martinez and Sanchez became freshman roommates and close friends as they learned to survive the cold weather and reminisced about their beachfront homes.

During that year Sanchez helped Martinez practice her Spanish, taught her about Spanish culture, and ignited a passion for cultural studies in Martinez.

Over the next five years Martinez would build upon the cultural passions she developed her freshman year, including obtaining a master's degree in intercultural communications and moving to London to work as a cross-cultural trainer and researcher.

"Intercultural communication chose me," Martinez said.

Martinez arrived at Whitworth with the intent of studying translation and Spanish, including spending a year-abroad in Spain. She selected a school near Madrid, about a three-hour drive to where Sanchez lives. To prepare for her year overseas, Martinez enrolled in an intercultural communication class.

"During the final intercultural exercise I was asked to represent a minority group, and I have never felt so helpless and unheard," Martinez said. "It was an 'ah ha' moment."

For the first time Martinez saw the need to help cultures work together. Her first intercultural task would be to integrate into Spanish culture. And she did. Martinez dove into Spanish culture, including taking wine-tasting classes and traveling. She learned to cook Spanish food, and even visited Sanchez in the south of Spain.

Martinez soaked the culture up, and even after a year in Spain did not have enough. She decided to spend some time traveling through Europe. Her greatest intercultural encounter happened then.

"I met my fiancé in a hostel in Poland," Martinez said. "I was traveling west to Whitworth, and he was heading east to circle the globe."

David Hazleton finished his around-the-world trip shortly after Martinez arrived back at Whitworth. The following year consisted of a steady stream of letters and Skype calls between Spokane and London. Martinez also focused on intercultural communication in the classroom, including becoming a teacher's assistant for Ginny Whitehouse's Intercultural Communication class.

The idea of studying intercultural communication in graduate school slowly seeped into her mind, partially because of a little pressure from her professor.

"She really had a passion for the discipline," Whitehouse said. "Amanda wanted to spend more time studying intercultural, so grad school was the logical choice."

Martinez packed her bags shortly after graduation and boarded yet another plane, this time bound for the University of Bedfordshire, in London. Through an accelerated program, Martinez earned a master's degree in international communication in a single year.

"Heading into my second semester, several of my colleagues asked where I was going to work," Martinez said. "I never imaged I could work while going to school."

Several intercultural programs quickly responded to Martinez's inquires, and she started working with Global Excellence the same week she started her dissertation.

"Global Excellence did not want to hire me permanently until I graduated," Martinez said. "It was like having a three or four month interview."

Martinez is now a cross-cultural trainer and researcher for Global Excellence with a two-year contract – the same amount of time her post-studies work visa would allow. She prepares businesses for entering into a new culture, a job that ranges from explaining how business is done to showing what a local post office looks like.

Martinez is currently writing material for Spain, a country she is very familiar with. The hardest part of her job is convincing her boss to not make her wear the "I'm interculturally competent, how about you?" shirt to upcoming exhibitions.

Martinez typically spends time meeting with cultural experts, researching cultural information, and writing brochures. Occasionally she makes it out of the office, and helps lead trainings.

"I love having contact with people during training," Martinez said. "You get to share your experiences to help others."

As Martinez approaches the end of her two-year visa, her goal is to continue living in an intercultural environment. She believes her intercultural education can serve her anywhere in the world, and that is where she is looking to go next: anywhere. Argentina and New Zealand are high on her list, but nothing is out of the question.

"We have the world at our feet," Martinez said. "I can do my job anywhere."

The next time she boards a plane however, it won't be for work. Next month Martinez is preparing to visit Laura Sanchez, her freshman roommate, in Malag, Spain, to reminisce about their six-year friendship that started at Whitworth.