Posts

Posted on

First Impressions

Studying at a German language center abroad means that my classmates come from countries all over the world. When eating at a restaurant with a group of students in my class, our waiter was thrilled to find out that two of my friends speak Italian. Translated by my friends, he told them our lunch sounded like the beginning of a joke (“A Russian, an Italian, and an American walk into a restaurant…”). Getting to know students from other cultures who also want to improve their German language skills has been important in helping me understand the value of language learning. I’ve noticed my favorite conversations with my classmates have often been centered around the question: “Why German?” The answer to the question is incredibly varied. While some students are learning German intensively because they already study it in their schools or simply enjoy learning the language, others learn German out of necessity. Regardless of the reason they’re learning German, my time in Radolfzell so far has been defined by my friendships and conversations with my fellow students.

Unlike a German class back home, German culture is not explained comparatively to specifically American culture here. One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Germany was a difference in attitude surrounding driving and crossing the street. In my small town back home it is acceptable for a pedestrian to cross the street on a red light if there no cars around.  I quickly learned this was not a universally accepted mode of crossing the street. I had a similar learning curve my first day as I figured out which lane was for walking and which was for biking. I’m happy to share that I have adjusted to the orderliness of German crosswalks and sidewalk lanes (although I do sometimes still find myself nervous whenever I come across an unfamiliar sidewalk system.) Although to me it seemed that drivers in Germany were much less friendly than in America, some of my friends from other countries experienced the opposite. This hesitation in crossing the street I had seemed silly to my friend from Russia who felt much more at ease crossing the street here in Germany. Because many of my classmates did not share my former experience of “friendly” drivers and lenient pedestrian crossing, this was not an aspect of German culture that we viewed in the same way. 

Posted on

Post 3 – Jordanian Friends!

3 weeks in Jordan! My time here has gone by so fast already.

Since coming here, I have had some amazing experiences, of which probably the biggest highlights are going to Wadi Mujib with a group of other Qasid students (huge thank you to John, Shamiran, and Dante for organizing the entire trip), being in Aqaba over Eid and snorkeling in the Red Sea, and attending mass at the Jesuit Center with the other Notre Dame students.

Still, until recently, I felt like I was failing in a major way by not engaging enough with the local communities in Amman. For the past two weeks, I had woken up at 7 am, attended class from 8 am – 1 pm, then begun homework, or returned to the apartment with one of my roommates and literally collapsed from exhaustion, only to begin homework 2 hours later. Yes, there is a lot of work, but I was acutely aware of the fact that I could be finding ways to engage with the city throughout the week and still get everything done. I felt very inadequate, like a piece of this experience was still missing.

However, after going to the orientation for the Reclaim Childhood camp, my outlook took a significant turn. At the orientation, I was able to meet all the coaches and the other volunteers, and we spent the whole afternoon playing soccer, basketball, and frisbee, and practicing the drills that we will be teaching the girls. Yes, we were playing games that are meant for 8-year-olds, but I had so much fun. All of the games were team-oriented and while there was a language barrier, through working together, laughing together, and smiles and shouts of encouragement, I felt enveloped in a sense of community that I had not expected to find. I was surprised at how competitive the games became. I think it was the way that these women carried themselves – with an air of confidence and a level of competitive assertion that I guess I had not expected to see, considering that women are second-class citizens here in numerous ways. I was deeply touched by how nice, supportive, and invested these women are in RC’s mission. It is clear that they all want the girls to have fun, but they also want to build a community for them, teach them that it’s okay to be aggressive, and demonstrate to them that they have immense opportunities and potential. The experience was very touching and I don’t think I’m expressing it well, but I cannot wait to be a part of its impact and meet the girls when camp starts on Monday.

I finally made Jordanian friends! While at the orientation, I met two Jordanian girls my age who are also volunteering. We talked back and forth in both English and Arabic, and they gave me so much advice about the city, things to do, places to go, and dishes to eat, as well as some expressions to use in daily life. I got their numbers and we will be volunteering together throughout all of July! I rode the bus back with one of the girls who lives in the same neighborhood, and she was so sweet, telling me all about her family’s traditions during Eid and promising to bring some of the cookies that she is baking to the first day of camp. SO kind. That is one thing that has been so unexpected – people’s generosity. Obviously, not every offer is candid but many people I have met here are just genuinely very kind. 

Also, the entire orientation was in Arabic in the Ammiyah dialect (different from the MSA that I am primarily learning, but since it is the spoken dialect it’s a bit easier to pick up). I understood far more than I anticipated, and I think that demonstrated to me that I am actually making progress, even though it does not always feel that way.

Safety as a Woman in Amman:

Amman is pretty safe – much safer than I expected. There have only been a couple of situations where I have felt particularly uncomfortable, but I’ve realized that a lot of problems go away if you are married, so in certain situations, I will switch one of my rings and this has been really successful.

One thing I love about Amman:

The feral cats! Cats are everywhere in this city – you can be walking down the street and you will see at least one. Or if you sit in a random restaurant or cafe, a cat will just walk into the room and sit right next to you. This is such a unique aspect of Amman and I love it!

Posted on

Post 2 Critical Incident

The other day, I experienced a critical cultural incident. I was walking around Paris and didn’t know how to reach a certain point. I saw a street worker, approached him, and asked in what I thought was a very friendly way how to get there. However, I did not start with “Hello, how are you doing?” Thus, the man looked at me appalled and responded: “Well, a very good morning to you too.” Once I noticed my faux pas, I apologized, and then the ensuing conversation went very well. Reflecting on what happened, it is clear that it was a critical cultural incident. In the culture I grew up in, you never really ask a stranger how they are doing, for such a question would be perceived as weird or intrusive. Furthermore, you can ask a direct question without much introduction if you phrase it appropriately, for example: “Would you mind telling me, please, how to get to X?” But I noticed that in France, you always have to start with something like “good morning,” “good afternoon,” etc.

Posted on

Stereotypes/Generalisation

Oof. What a big one.

Usually, words are my specialty. But I am not sure where to begin with this. There is so much I want to say, so much I want to investigate, and so much I know I cannot begin to unravel.

For example, even our observations of other’s behaviours we believe are informed by their stereotypes is more informative of our own stereotypes than it is about others.

To clarify, let’s take the example Mary Davis gave us where a lady asked her if she had a light for a lighter. Mary Davis suggests that “maybe she (the lady) made an assumption that because I have tattoos I must also smoke cigarettes.”

However, this is more informative of the assumptions Mary Davis has about people with tattoos and cigarette smokers than it is about the other person. Because we do not actually know for sure why the lady chose to ask Mary Davis for a lighter and not her friends, and it might have nothing to do with her tattoos (even if Mary Davis felt as though she took a glance at her tattoos).

Therefore, when I elaborate on what others have told me regarding their stereotypes for others, I need to be very weary of the line between the stereotypes others hold and where they become my own.

Specifically, I have talked to some of my host family’s extended family members and friends and volunteers at the prison I currently work at about their stereotypes of Americans.

The most common comment I received was about how the behaviours of Americans can come across as entitled or as if they are superior in some way (regardless of if they are aware of it or not). For example, many commented on how Americans do not like to or make an effort to speak Spanish. The lack of effort can come across as an entitled attitude where there is a presumption that others will have (or should have) the ability to understand English.

I have become very weary of this here in Costa Rica. If I were to speak in Japanese to people (world wide other than Japan) almost definitely they will not understand what I am saying. And although English is the most spoken language in the world, I feel as though as a tourist visiting another country, making the effort to even say “gracias” or “chao” in Spanish (also a widely spoken language and second most in the United States) is the bare minimum.

All in all, these stereotypes and generalisations that people have mentioned to me aligned with the auto-stereotypes I have of my group. Honorary mentions: the US is violent (think: gun violence) and made up of families not as united (or spend time together) as the people in Costa Rica.

On the contrary, I did not have much stereotypes or generalisations about Costa Ricans (if at all) because I had previously not heard much about the place. Which inherently makes me think about the countries I do hear about or is given attention to in my environment versus the ones that are not.

In fact, once my host family asked me about what Japanese people thought of Costa Ricans and I quite frankly had no clue. Maybe just that we lost against them in the FIFA World Cup?

I was left quite embarrassed and a little disappointed given how many people in Costa Rica has mentioned to me how organised and strong work ethic they thought the Japanese had.

But I am quite grateful for this to have been brought to my attention. Of not having many stereotypes about a group is also indicative of the flow of representation we may have globally or nationally of other groups.

Granted, many Costa Ricans had trouble distinguishing Japan and China.