Author: agordon8

I have had multiple critical incidents in my time here so far, but the most prominent happened in my second week of class. The topic of the day was globalization. I was placed into a slightly higher level German class than I was ready for, so I am able to follow the conversations well, but find it difficult to articulate myself when it comes to broader topics such as this one. I have a very diverse class with people coming from Russia, South America, Korea, Hungary, etc., which allows for very broad range of opinions and perspectives.

In this conversation, a Hungarian man began explaining his beliefs about the American dream and how it is toxic and infecting global cultures. In the moment, I viewed it as a complete attack on my culture and beliefs that I’ve grown up valuing. As one of two Americans in the class, I felt very frustrated that I didn’t have the linguistic means to defend myself and explain my perspective.

During our break, I thought more about why he might feel the way he does. I came to the conclusion that perhaps he feels some of his culture and traditions are at risk of being lost if American influence continues to spread. I can absolutely understand this concern and find it to be an interesting point of view.

I don’t really know what to expect going into this summer or how I “should” be feeling. I feel nervous, excited, anxious and a blend of other emotions, but I haven’t really taken any action on these feelings. I’ve done a minimal amount of research or planning because I truly just want to show up and see where life takes me. I think that’s the best way I will achieve the most authentic experience possible and through reflection on this authentic experience, I hope to grow interculturally.

I’ve been studying German since the 8th grade, but I’m doing this program because my language abilities have hit a plateau and I need to put them to the test in order to further develop them. I think this will present its fair share of challenges in the beginning and I need to make the conscious effort to use German not English. This is the biggest reason that I chose Radolfzell over a big city. My hope is that since Radolfzell is a small town, the temptation to use English will be less because less people will speak it.

One of my goals going into this summer is to be spontaneous. I’m the type of person who prefers routine, but I know that if I do the same thing every day I will look back on the summer as a missed opportunity to experience new things. While I don’t want to plan out every moment of every day and fill them to the brim with activities, I also don’t want to become content in a routine. My intent is to try something new everyday.