My Experience of the Exchange

 

^{[http://inet.dpb.dpu.dk/infodok/sprogforum/Espr18/byram.html A record of my Intercultural Experience"}

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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)

  the comparison between our school system and the American way of studying. Their attitude towards college life compared to our idea of it (influenced by films and tv series).

   

   

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

  when we talked about politics an American girl asked us an awkward question: if you don’t like your actual politicians, why do you keep electing always the same people?

   

   

   

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

       when the Americans asked us about meritocrazia I felt I had no problem in explaining to them what it was.

 

 

B. Knowledge

• The most important things I learnt about family life and/or life at school. I realized that going to university for an American is a completely different process. The choice is actually made by the university itself according to your marks, you need to apply for more than one if you want to be sure to go to college and life inside the campus is like a small world populated by students.

   

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

      I have understood that there are some hot topics in the US that I  had never considered before, like the need to renew the health system and the issue of misogyny in the presidential campaign.

 

• 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). Americans seemed to me very interested in how things work in Italy and about our mentality. Once we have asked a girl  who she was going to vote for and she was really embarrassed, as the question was too direct and personal.

   

 

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 had the feeling that the American students couldn’t quite figure out how institutions are and work in Italy. They don’t know how it is organized from the administrative point of view (which absolutely comprehensible). A girl asked us what a “provincia” is.

   

• 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) Once we have discussed in brief the attitude of some Americans towards Hillary Clinton. Our American peer said that many people say that she cannot make it. However, I couldn’t understand why (and he couldn’t really explain it) and I had to do some searches on the internet to work it out.  

   

 

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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: how they manage to live in a country that has such long distances to face.

   

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

 

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: Americans consider immigration in a completely different way, being a country made up of immigrants. This phenomenon is relatively recent in Italy and their way of seeing things made me think about how we could follow their 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: there were times in which the American students couldn't really understand our point of view on certain topics and expressions that are typical of our culture (a Dikinson student couldn't understand what a "mediatore culturale" is). Everytime this happens one needs to learn to explain the topic clearly, trying to avoid misunderstandings.

 

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 definitely got a deeper knowledge of the election campaign in the US.

   

• I know how to engage in conversation with people of the other culture and maintain a conversation. Example: the key is to try to ask questions about things the other students care about and are ready to talk about.

   

 

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: once a girl didn’t know what the term “pasquetta” means and what it implies. I had to explain to her that Easter holidays are quite different in Italy and that on Easter Monday we traditionally take a trip to the countryside.

   

• I know how to discover new information and new aspects of the other culture for myself. Example: internet, especially newspapers’ websites

 

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Self-Assessment of my Language Learning

 

Please provide specific examples of the following:

 

• words, expressions I learned in English: major (in the sense of degree course)
• improvements in my pronunciation of certain words or intonation: I have learned to work on my intonation, especially when I ask a question or when I want the other person to understand that I’m finished and it’s his/her turn to talk.

   

• improvements in my listening: listening to podcasts in which journalists made comments on candidates helped me to feel more comfortable with the American pronunciation.

   

• changes in the way I speak Italian to non-native speakers: I try to be as clear as possible, both in my pronunciation and vocabulary.  

   

• words, expressions I learned doing the wiki project: coverage
• improvements in my reading doing the wiki project: Now I read much faster and I’m more familiar with the topics I had to deal with during my work.

   

• improvements in my writing doing the wiki project: I think one pays more attention to what they write – I always try to check things out before putting them on the wiki – because you know that many people are going to read it.

   

 

 

 

 

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