DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL: WEEKS 3 & 4
Describe your community-engaged experiences.
 Recall a specific occurrence from your community-engaged
experience so far that involved some degree of cultural
conflict. From your perspective, what happened? What was
your role in this conflict? What did you want? What was the
ideal solution to this conflict at the time it occurred?
It was very common for me to have an experience of cultural
differences since a lot of the senior citizens who came to the
farm stand had practiced their cultural food techniques
throughout their lives. For instance, one woman was of Middle
Eastern descent and spoke about the different uses of
lavender in cooking. From my perspective, I had not thought
about some of the uses and wondered if they were actually
safe. Having an educational background in Dietetics where you
learn about the inconclusive results about different herbs and
health alternatives, I assumed that some of the practices may
not have been safe for consumption, since I also did not know
how to really prepare lavender safely. I wanted to know the
actual science and safety behind this practice, even though I
knew she did not have the actual knowledge of this. While my
role in this situation was the curious one, I felt a little
uncomfortable not knowing exactly what the woman was
talking about. The appropriate solution to this conflict was to
ask questions not about the safety of the way she was making
the products, but ask questions that showed my interest in
what she was doing, rather than asking questions that may
have made it seem like I did not agree with what she was
doing. The approach that I took was to just recognize what she
said and change the subject matter.
Name___Jennifer Treubig__
Relate your experiences to course content and future actions.
 How does the course material relate to this cultural conflict,
help you analyze possible solutions, and suggest a course of
action that might be advisable? List two different actions
that you might have taken instead of the one you did and
evaluate each one.
This relates to this course content because we are learning
how to be more culturally competent and respectful of all
cultures, no matter how different they may be or how much
we don’t agree with them. In one of the readings, it speaks
about acculturation and bias. Acculturation is defined as the
process of adopting the beliefs, values, and behaviors of
another culture. This instance shows that I needed to be more
adept at communicating with someone of a different
background rather than just sharing my own beliefs as in my
own life or culture. Rather than simply changing the subject
matter, one approach I could take that would be better would
be asking about what she thinks about the technique of
cooking or drying out the lavender. This would help to spark
more conversation and show that I am interested in what she
has to say, therefore creating a more comfortable and
welcoming environment for her to share anything. Another
approach I could take that would connect both of our
questions/interests would be to ask her what kinds of benefits
come from it and why she uses it in that way, so that I am able
to understand the science/beneficial side of it while also
encouraging her interests in the product. As for this approach,
like I stated earlier, it would connect both of our interests,
therefore, showing that I am open to new cultures and am
eager to connect it with my own.
DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL: WEEKS 3 & 4
Describe your community-engaged experiences.
 Now, assume the viewpoint opposite that which you actually
held during this conflict, or the viewpoint you were the least
empathetic with. Describe the conflict from this perspective.
What happened? What was your role in this conflict? What
did you want? What was the ideal solution to this conflict at
the time it occurred?
In the perspective of the woman, I may have felt that the other
person (myself) did not care about what I had to say or was
stuck in their cultural aspects and not eager to learn about
new things. When I (the curious perspective) changed the
subject, it may have made the woman feel disregarded or that
I was just trying to find some other way we may have
connected rather than some topic that may have been out of
their span of knowledge. The role of the woman (from her
perspective) was simply explaining her own beliefs and
practices therefore, sharing what she thought might be of
interest to other people. The desire of the woman was most
likely to share what she used the lavender for and potentially
get some insight from other people of what they used it for so
she could maybe expand her horizons and knowledge. The
ideal solution would have been for me to ask more regarding
what she used it for and maybe share some of my knowledge
that didn’t contradict what she said.
Name___Jennifer Treubig__
Relate your experiences to course content and future actions.
 How did it feel to do this journal? How were you able to get
into someone else’s shoes? How was this journal difficult?
What is one thing you realized about yourself through
writing this journal?
Writing this journal opened my eyes to more about other’s
perspectives about small things we aren’t typically conscious
of on a day-to-day basis. It felt eye-opening overall to write
this journal because in the past, I’ve thought that switching
topics/subjects wasn’t a bad thing unless it was obvious that
the person was hurt and was trying to vent about something.
However, now I know I should at the least try to connect what
I say to what the person said previously, to not only show I was
listening, but also show I have an interest in what was being
said. By recognizing how I would feel if someone responded
the way I did, I was able to understand the feelings of the
woman whom I was speaking to. Hence, it was difficult to write
this journal because I came to the conclusion that I did not
respond in the best manner possible. I realized that I may need
to think about what I say in depth rather than relying on past
experiences, without analysis.
DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL: WEEKS 3 & 4 Name___Jennifer Treubig__

Self-assessment (complete last).

 What level of reflection (see James Bradley’s Criteria on Canvas) have you achieved with this journal? How do you know? What
can you do differently next time to achieve the next highest level?
Through this journal, I have been able to achieve level three of James Bradley’s Criteria because firstly, I was able to view an
interaction through multiple perspectives. By viewing the interaction through two different perspective, I was able to see the
rationale behind both sides, as well as how both sides felt after the encounter. I was also able to recognize the differences
between the two people as well as how they could potentially connect to each. Additionally, by viewing this encounter through
the different perspectives, I was able to understand the background information and factors which affected the two individuals’
reactions, feelings, and responses. Finally, through the emotional evaluation of both sides, I was able to comprehend what
importance level each individual held the encounter to before, during, and afterwards.