Description of my feelings, knowledge and actions during the Exchange.

 

A. Feelings

 

• Ways in which my curiosity and interest were aroused: (examples that made me re-consider my own culture)

 Well, just the fact of speaking about culture made me and still makes me think about my own culture. As regards what I did in class, I found particularly interesting the comparison with the american culture. Reading the wiki pages of the other students has been really interesting. Also listening to the "stories" of Sarah, an American that lives in Italy, was an interesting and funny way to look at Italian culture through other's eyes (e.g. the story of the shoes... :)). Also the fact that in the course there are erasums students made me reconsider my own culture and my vision of it. 

 

• Moments in which I felt uncomfortable: (what made me feel like this, with particular examples if possible)

I didn't feel uncomfortable during the exchange. Well, maybe when there were some problems with the computers in tha lab... (sometime it was my fault, but sometime they just refuse to work... frustrating...). If I have to be honest I didn't like and still don't like :) the wiki. (also some peers do think it). It is a bit confusing, blogging was better

 

• Moments when I felt comfortable:(what made me feel like this, with particular examples if possible)

I felt that what I was learning was useful, especially while speaking with Leah, my American peer. We talked not only about the topic of the final project, but about things and life in general; American and Italian  elections, politicians, music, friends, ... 

 

 

B. Knowledge

 

• The most important things I learnt about family life and/or life at school.

There could be some slight or even huge differences but "the world is the same wherever you go"

 

• The most important things I have learnt about the country, the nation, the state of the target language

I learnt that American people are not as films or stereotypes describe them.

 

• 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 think that there do exist some differences, especially cultural convention. American people are not as brown-nosing as Italians and tend top be more direct and prompt, (I'm speaking of the average man). My personal experience taught me not to speak with them about death penalty and war.

 

 

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.

 A day while speaking to Leah I had to explain her the shamanism and the differnces between  "modern and ancient people' health care" . I explained her that old women and men (not only shamans) knew and still know how to cure diseases without the help of chemical medicines. The fact that she didn't know the existence of shamans and medicine men sounded strange to me, but she told me she knew nothing about the topic. 

 

• 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)

 Unfortunately I didn't speak a lot of times to Leah and I really have no examples to write

---

 

A self-assessment of my Intercultural Experience^{[http://inet.dpb.dpu.dk/infodok/sprogforum/Espr18/byram.html A record of my Intercultural Experience" href="http://tulanepadova.pbwiki.com/ICC_Assessment#footnote-3">3]}

 

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'm imterested in real life; the first things that come into my mind are religion, food tastes, sports, politics, music and ways to relate to other people  

 

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

Students, women and children; their behaviour, their role in society and the way other social groups look at them.

 

 

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:

 Politics; especially Italian elections and politicians since media in Italy offer a fairly distort vision of this topic.

 

 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:

I think it is just a matter of  intelligence, respect and humility. There are some topics to avoid and others that can show our interest for a certain culture.

 

 

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:

politicians, musicians, movies' directors, historical personalities

 

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

It is a question of curiosity and respect. I think that if you are not interested in a conversation you don't care to keep it going on, even if you speak to people of you own culture. If you are interested in what other people want to say to you cultural differences can be engaged.

 

 

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:

The fact that many people trust stereotypes and don't want to prove their truth or not: e.g. he fact that a lot of people think that American are happy just with their language and don't want to learn other languages. Again, it is just a question of curiosity and mind-openness. 

 

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

Following my curiosity; reading newspapers and books, surfing the web, speaking to people of the culture I want to know about.

 

---

 

Self-Assessment of my Language Learning

 

Please provide specific examples of the following:

 

• words, expressions I learned in English:

I, I can not anwer to this question because I can not make a list of the words I've been learning. I think it is just knowlegde that I acquired and that I know is and will be useful.

• improvements in my listening:

the ability to distinguish AmEn,BrEn  and other countries' English speakers

• changes in the way I speak Italian to non-native speakers:

Well I did not change my way of speaking Italian to other people, I've always been gentle while speaking Italian to non-native speaker

• words, expressions I learned doing the wiki project:

words regarding politics and health care

• improvements in my reading doing the wiki project:

I think the wiki was useful during the exchange, but it did not improve a lot my reading skills. It was useful but not fundamental to improve this skill.

• improvements in my writing doing the wiki project: 

I think the feedback of the peer and the comparison with the member of my group has been useful

 Create your own educational wiki!HelpPublic, not yet premium Privacy Policy RSS