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Cultural Resource: A Successful Experience
Your
experience is a blend of learning about another culture, becoming more aware
of your own attitudes and building skills to help you cope with the adjustment
and make the most of your time overseas.
The
following skills will help you understand and learn about interacting with your friends
at the college and in the community:
- Learn the
language by using it. Speak the language, it is your key to being involved in your new culture. Even if you do not speak perfectly, your
attempts will be appreciated.
- Be aware. Listen to and observe those around you. Look for nonverbal
cues (gestures) which help you understand more about your host culture.
- Suspend
judgment. It is natural to think about something as "good" or
"bad." However, try
to accept and understand the situation before judging.
- Empathize. Try to put yourself in the other person's place and to look
at the situation from his/her perspective.
- Recognize
that anxiety is natural. To speak another language and to live in another
country is not easy and often can be stressful. Openness, a willingness
to take risks, and to laugh at one's mistakes can help you deal with anxiety.
- Be
honest. If you are confused about something or if a misunderstanding
arises, it is usually best to say you are confused rather than pretend that
everything is OK.
- Become
involved. Show your interest in the people and the culture and
participate in daily life. Search for opportunities to share yourself
and your background with your friends. Try new foods, participate in a
student organization, join a sports team, the choir... by experiencing you will learn the
most about yourself and others.
Like the
skin of an onion which has many layers, you have many layers of cultural
values. During your stay overseas, you can learn a lot about yourself as
the layers are peeled away. The process of understanding your own
cultural values is like peeling an onion. Each of us has many layers of
cultural values formed since birth.
When you do
not understand a situation, try to take a step back and search for the reasons
why you feel uncomfortable and do not understand. In the process you may
learn about how culture has influenced what you expect to happen. As you
peel more layers you discover values which are deep inside of you that you are
not aware of. Often, peeling the layers can be painful as you begin to
discover more about yourself. You will not always have good times. In fact, the painful times are often those that you remember because they
cause you to question the foundations of your assumptions about "what is
normal" and "how things are done."
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