Month: December 2021

Intercultural learning has enabled me to gain insight into how diverse cultures think and how to accept differences in culture. Furthermore, it made me think a lot about how culture can influence people in so many different ways. I enjoyed hearing from the people in my class who had so many different backgrounds, and I am grateful for the friends I made through this class. Moreover, I learned that the shape of their language can help under their culture as well. I was inspired to learn a new language and explore the world after taking this course. The idea of culture now for me is more of a lifestyle. It is part of how we live our lives every day and with each individual being unique in their own way. My perception changed a lot as I began to listen to more people and how different it can be, and I learned to accept the new culture and experience it with them which helped me change the way I think about new cultures. Among all the readings and discussions that we had, one of the things that stuck with me was when we discussed our backgrounds and made a circle. I was very impressed with the diverse backgrounds in class and the thinking process of my classmates. It made me think about being open-minded to different cultures and having a diverse mindset. My future/ongoing intercultural relations will be influenced by everything I learned in class. It taught me how to think in diverse ways and how to be open-minded about new cultures and perspectives. 

I am a Korean American who was born and raised in South Korea until the age of 13 before moving to the state of Washington. When I first moved to the United States, It was a surprise for me as a 7th grader who had never been to the country before. Despite the fact that I moved from a familiar home to a strange world, the first three months after I arrived was the one of the best times of my life. I enjoyed experiencing new things and talking to different people from new backgrounds. After living in Seattle for several years, the time came to choose where I wanted to go for college. I had to decide whether to stay closer to Seattle, or to go far away again and explore the new world. I decided to go to school on the east coast where I never thought I would live and I have learned so much ever since I came to Wesleyan. One thing I have learned is that people think differently here compared to people in both South Korea and Seattle. The purpose of their life is different and how they communicate with each other is different as well. It’s so interesting to see wherever I go to different regions in this world, people are different and I become a more open person to learn more about their culture and become an open minded person. 

Having the opportunity to present on a subject that has interested me for awhile was a real pleasure. The presentation was made by our group about the differences between U.S. healthcare and European health care. My research about the topic led me to discover many things that stood out to me, and there were also many things that I learned during my research. For example, I did not know millions of Americans are uninsured and cannot afford treatment for their health problems. In class, I presented the future of the issue of U.S. and Europe. There were some issues that I knew from previous experience, but there were others that were new to me. As an example, rising health care costs were already known to me, but I didn’t realize so many infectious diseases were reemerging. Additionally, I was aware that there are always new technologies and new healthcare plans coming out, but I did not know much about them, and this presentation was a great opportunity for me to learn more. In terms of health care, the U.S. and Europe have some significant differences, but the overall trend for the future trend was very similar. 

It was exciting to learn more about study abroad in the class, and It was exciting learn more about the study abroad. We discussed the pros and cons of studying abroad and how this experience can benefit students. We also discussed the brochure and how it can mislead potential students about the study abroad. Despite the brochure’s fancy pictures, people need to understand that the place where they go study abroad is not a paradise. While there are a lot of good place, the place still would have a lot of cons, and students have to work hard to get a good grade. There may be many things to do and many places to visit in the brochure, but there may also be a problem such as pandemic and the bad weather. The study abroad experience, however, is an experience that not that many people get to have. You will be able to experience the new culture and learn new things from it.

I’d like to share my thoughts on English language education for second language learners. English can be taught in many different ways, but I believe that naturally exposing people to the language is the most effective way. Teachers can force learners to do grammar books and they can make them read books, but I think it is very important for them to create a surrounding where learners are naturally surrounded by the language. If the learner is exposed to American TV shows in daily life or hears English spoken by parents, the learner will think of the language as a tool rather than a subject.