My Experience of the Exchange
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)
I have to say that unfortunately I spoke with my peer Rocio only two times, due to technical problems. Moreover, she was actually Spanish and not American. However it was an interesting exchange because she spoke with us mediating American and European culture, she made us see differences and similarities between both cultures and she provided also examples taken from her life in Spain.
- Moments in which I felt uncomfortable: (what made me feel like this, with particular examples if possible)
There wasn’t a particular moment in which I felt uncomfortable, Rocio was really nice and talkative. Maybe I felt uncomfortable when headsets and microphone didn’t work and I can not spoke as my peers, because I lost important moments of the conversation and the possibility to interact.
- Moments when I felt comfortable:(what made me feel like this, with particular examples if possible)
I felt comfortable when we talked about Spanish, Italian and American ways in which students organize parties and spend their free time, for example Italian spritz time, Spanish botellón and American students activities. It was a funny way to compare these three cultures talking about things that regard us all as students.
B. Knowledge
- The most important things I learnt about family life and/or life at school.
As I said before, our peer Rocio was Spanish and she was at Dickinson as foreign student, so she wasn’t there with her family. However she told us that in America young people are very attached to their family, even though they go to live alone earlier than in Italy.
As school is concerned, Rocio studied at Dickinson University but she also worked there as teacher assistant; maybe this was the most important thing I learnt about school: that a student can also work as teacher assistant, because here in Italy it is impossible. At school, American students are never left alone in their learning process, instead in Italy we are responsible for our learning and we are in most cases abandoned by our teacher. Moreover, I learnt that in America students pay very high rates but they have the possibility to practice a lot of different activities for free. They also create groups and clubs, and here it isn’t so; Italian students have to organize themselves their free time.
- The most important things I have learnt about the country, the nation, the state of the target language.
America is a really multicultural nation, in which there is the presence of people from all over the world. This fact sometimes creates problems, however I noticed that at Dickinson there is great openness towards foreign students and different religions. I also learnt that students can create groups on languages ( for example, Rocio participated in the Spanish group) and I think it’s important to give other students an added insight into the different cultures. I think that in America Universities do a big work in trying to conciliate different cultures.
- 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 didn’t have problems with customs and conventions, probably because our peer belonged to our same cultural area. As regards the topics, I noticed that she was interested in knowing how we live here in Padua (for example the way in which we spend our free time, the kind of accommodation we have etc.).
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.
We never had particular problems. I have never been to America and so I trusted the things my peer said to me. In general I think that in approaching a different culture one can not have prejudices but accept the things in the way they are.
- 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)
It was new for me that in America students are so well organize in their spare time; I knew something about this topic but I had to ask my peer precise questions to know well how they are organized because Italian and American University system differ a lot. On the contrary, to Rocio was strange that in Padua students do not live in campus but in different flats distributed all over the city and she did not know what “pendolari” are, so we had to clarify these points.
A self-assessment of my Intercultural Experience
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 was curious to learn precise things about student’s life and their organization inside the University, the role they can have, the activities they can prepare.
- I am also interested in the daily experience of a variety of social groups within a society and not only the dominant culture. Example:
I appreciated the fact that our peer Rocio was well integrated at Dickinson University: she was a member of the Spanish group ( which has the aim to inform students about Spanish way of life ) and also she was part in the dance group ( they prepare dancing shows). The other foreign students formed other groups ( for example, Circolo Italiano, French club, German club etc.) with the aim of developing the knowledge of other cultures. These groups organize parties with food and beverage typical of the different countries, and they also promote an added insight to the foreign culture through films, music, speakers ans social activities.
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:
I learnt that in American Universities there are student societies formed by students that obtain high results. This thing was quite strange to me, because I found it a quite exclusive thing, but actually their aim is topromote intelligent living and a continued high standard of learning, and to assist students in recognizing and developing meaningful goals for their roles in society. So I realized that I had to consider this groups from another point of view. I also thought that American Universities, with their high rates, were out of the possibility of great part of students, instead I learnt that they can give students economical facilitation. So I discovered that American University system tend to give all students the same possibilities, even to unprivileged students.
Our peer had problems in understanding why we students don’t live together but in different flats. This fact is normal for us, but they are used to live inside the campus and there they have all the facilities.
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:
For example, sometimes I had to work out my answers and to clarify them in order to make my peer able to understand what I meant. We have habits that they don’t have in America or in Spain and I have to explain some of them.
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 learnt that in America there is great openness towards other cultures and religions. America is a melting pot, where all races and cultures coexist. This sometimes creates problems, but it is also a big opportunity to know different habits and ways of live.
- I know how to engage in conversation with people of the other culture and maintain a conversation. Example:
I think that in maintaining a conversation with people of other cultures, first of all is important to find common points, and then to explain the differences between the two cultures. In the conversation with our peer we started from common topics ( for example, student’s spare time) and then we talked about the way in which they organize in America and in Italy, finding common points and differences.
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:
For example, our peer wasn’t really independent on doing our wiki page but she was continually asking us or her teacher on how to do certain things. So I thought she misunderstood the fact that everyone of us can do this work independently, choosing by herself the topic she wants to focus, the words she wants to use etc. and we thought that it was due to the fact that American teachers tend to follow their students too much, differently from Italy. So we told Rocio that she could do things in the way she wanted, and then we would have made peer reviewing.
- I know how to discover new information and new aspects of the other culture for myself. Example:
For example, I think that the Internet is a good resource to find information and I also use newspaper articles and books. It is not always possible, however I think that the best solution to deeply know a culture is to stay in that country for a period of time.
Self-Assessment of my Language Learning
Please provide specific examples of the following:
- words, expressions I learned in English: expressions related to certain semantic field , for example words related to spare time, student activities, University life.
- improvements in my pronunciation of certain words or intonation: even though our peer was Spanish, I tried to use English intonation and pronunciation.
- improvements in my listening: it was quite difficult hearing English pronounced by a Spanish student ( the intonation and the pronunciation of words it really different from an English or an American native speaker), so I think I have improved my listening skills in order to understand what she was saying.
- changes in the way I speak Italian to non-native speakers: I tried to use simple words and short sentences to make my peer able to understand better what I was saying.
- words, expressions I learned doing the wiki project: words related to the University world ( for example “sorority”, “greek life”, “honour society”, “alumni”).
- improvements in my reading doing the wiki project: I improved my reading skills through the reading of different web pages, reporting things quite new for me. So I often use the dictionary the check the right meaning of words.
- improvements in my writing doing the wiki project: I improved my writing skills through the writing my piece on the wiki page and in doing peer reviewing.
Page Information
|
Wiki Information |
Recent PBwiki Blog Posts |
Create your own educational wiki!