Interculture Wiki / Alice Violato_ICC

Ways in which my curiosity and interest were aroused: (examples that made me re-consider my own culture) It happend during the first skype sessions, as we talked about Mafia in Italy. I realized that my American peers had a distorted vision of what Mafia really is, so I tried to explain him what Mafia meant to me. But at the same time, that made me reconsider that there were either different perspectives from which the topic could be analized, that I had never thought about before.

Moments in which I felt uncomfortable: (what made me feel like this, with particular examples if possible) It made feel uncomfortable when Sarah told us that we should not correct our American peers each time they made a grammar mistake during our Skype sessions. I felt a bit guilty, because I realized my peer didn't want to speak Italian, since she feared to be wrong any time... I corrected her too much! Sorry!
Moments when I felt comfortable:(what made me feel like this, with particular examples if possible) It made feel comfortable as we chatted and laughed altogether, me and other three Italian students and our American peers, about the most 'typical' aspects of the student life both in the Italian and American university.

B. Knowledge

The most important things I learnt about family life and/or life at school. I learnt how the college system works in the U.S.A. and above all I realized that the student's approach to university is much different from that of the Italians'; while we have a final exam at the end of the course, in the U.S.A. students work for all the duration of the course with the continous assessment.

The most important things I have learnt about the country, the nation, the state of the target language. That's a difficult question indeed! I don't know because there's plenty of things I learnt about it...

What I have learnt about customs and conventions of talking with people (topics which interest them, topics to avoid, how to greet people and take leave from them). I realized that American avoid talking about the Afro-American issue... I'd like to learn more about such topic, but it happend several times that my American interlocutors prevent from talking about it...

C. Actions

Incidents or problems which I resolved by explaining different cultures to people, helping them see the points of view of different cultures and how misunderstandings can happen. I tried to explain to my peers that Mafia is an issue regarding the whole country and not only the Southern areas of Italy. I wanted them to know that Mafia is, unluckily, part of our culture and society.

Examples of times when I have had to ask questions and work out my own answers (from ask for clarification to understanding cultural customs and beliefs) For example when I was asked to explain how Prodi stepped down from the government. Difficult!!! I had to think a bit about it and even look for some words on the dictionary...

A. Interest in other people's way of life

I am interested in other people's experience of daily life, particularly those things not usually presented to outsiders through the media. Example:

I am also interested in the daily experience of a variety of social groups within a society and not only the dominant culture. Example:

B. Ability to change perspective

I have realised that I can understand other cultures by seeing things from a different point of view and by looking at my culture from their perspective. Example:

C. Ability to cope with communicating in a different language with a different culture

I am able to cope with a range of reactions people from different cultures may have to the way I express myself and what I say. Example:

D. Knowledge about another country and culture

I know some important facts about the other culture and about the country, state and people that I did not know before. Example:

I know how to engage in conversation with people of the other culture and maintain a conversation. Example:

E. Knowledge about intercultural communication

I know how to resolve misunderstandings which arise from people's lack of awareness of the view point of another culture. Example of misunderstanding and solution:

I know how to discover new information and new aspects of the other culture for myself. Example:

Please provide specific examples of the following:

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