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Cultural adjustment

Task sheet

Here are some difficulties people encounter when living in a new country. Please indicate with a check ( ¯ ) how important each one has been for you.

  Of very great importance Of great importance Of some importance Of no importance
1. Differences in the weather        
2. Being away from the family.        
3. Differences in the food.        
4. Differences in the way people make friends.        
5. Transportation problems.        
6. Getting used to new ways of learning.        
7. Adjusting to new ways of doing things, e.g. shopping.        
8. Difficulties in communicating one’s ideas.        
9. Different living conditions.        
10. Different social customs.        
11. Getting newspaper and magazines from home        
12. Meeting people from the same country.        
13. Knowing what to do in everyday situations.        
14. Other (please specify)        

Adapted from “NASA Exercise” in the Dynamics of Human Communication (A Laboratory Approach) Gail E. Myers and Michele Tolera Myers. From: A Manual of Structured Experiences for Cross-cultural Learning by Weebs, et al. Sietar-Intercultural Press.

 

Key to Step 4 - Survival Expert’s Ranking:

box of matches (15); food concentrate (4); 50 ft. nylon rope (6); parachute silk (8); portable heating unit (13); two 45 caliber pistols (11); one case dehydrated milk (12); two 100 lbs. tank of oxygen (1); stellar map (of moon’s constellation (3); life raft (9); magnetic compass (14); 5 gallons of water (2); signal flares (10); first aid kit with injection needles (7); solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter (5).


Celebrating holidays and special events

«Holidays often represent religious or patriotic events that most of the people in a country share in celebrating. In many countries, there is a state religion. The government and the religious leaders may work together to set political policies and decide on government actions.

In the United States, however, people believe in the separation of church and state. This means that the government may not interfere with or support matters relating to religion and religious institutions may not interfere in matters of government.

Because people living in the United States come from all over the world, they have learned to enjoy holidays that are part of other people’s cultures but not their own and to respect people’s right to worship in their own way. For example, most Americans, Christian or not, enjoy attending Christmas parties. They may also wear the customary green on St. Patrick’s Day even though they are not all Irish.»



American holidays

Here is a list of American holidays, when they are celebrated, and some information about how they are celebrated.


Holiday Time of Year Type of Celebration
  New Year’s Eve Evening of December 31 People dress up to go out to dinner, movies, theater, or parties. Most parties begin at 9 or 10 p.m.
  New Year’ s Day   January 1 People relax from previous evening’s festivities. They may visit with friends. Many watch college football games on television.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday.   January 15 Some schools and businesses close in honor of this civil rights leader.
  Valentine’s Day   February 14 Children exchange greeting cards in school. Sweethearts exchange cards. Men give flowers or candy to the women they love (wife, daughter, mother, girlfriend).
Presidents’ Day (Combined celebration of Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday   Third Monday in February Many schools close for one week vacation. Banks and the post office close for the day.
St. Patrick’s Day March 17 Irish holiday, celebrated with parades. People wear green.
April Fool’s Day April 1 A day when people, especially children, like to play tricks on others.
Passover. Eight days in the spring Jewish religious holiday celebrating Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt. On the first two nights, Jewish people have a traditional family meal called a Many schools close seder.
Easter   A Sunday in the spring Christian religious holiday. Some people stay home from work or school on the preceding Friday (Good Friday). On Easter Sunday, Christian families attend church and gather for traditional meals. (In addition, many Americans enjoy buying chocolate Easter bunnies, candy eggs, and jelly beans. There for one week vacation. Banks are Easter eggs hunts, and children color Easter eggs.)
Mother’s day First Sunday in May The extended family gathers; mothers and grandmothers receive cards and gifts.
Memorial Day Last Monday in May A day honoring all who have died in war. Schools and all government offices and businesses are closed.
Father’s Day Third Sunday in June Families gather; fathers and grandfathers receive cards and gifts.
Independence Day July 4 The day that the United States declared independence from England is celebrated with parades, picnics, barbecues. and fireworks.
Labor Day First Monday in September The final summer vacation day before school begins. People go to picnics and have outdoor parties with family and friends.
Rosh Hashanah Two days in the fall Jewish New Year, celebrated by going to synagogue.
Yom Kippur Tenth day following Rosh Hashanah Day of Atonement in the Jewish religion; Jews fast and go to synagogue.
Columbus Day October 12 The day Christopher Columbus discovered America. Schools, banks, and post offices are closed.
Veteran’s Day Fourth Monday in October A day honoring all people who have served in the armed forces; people display flags, and there are parades.
Halloween October 31 Children dress up in costumes and go door to door saying “trick or treat”. They expect people to give them candy.
Thanksgiving Fourth Thursday in November Commemorates the Pilgrims’ first harvest in the New World. Celebrated with a large meal, traditionally roast turkey.
Hanukkah Eight days in late fall The Jewish Festival of Lights; families light candles and exchange small gifts on each of the eight nights.
Christmas December 25 Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Families
gather to exchange gifts and eat a traditional meal. Families decorate Christmas trees with ornaments and sing songs. Santa Claus, a fat, jolly man in a white beard, brings gifts to all.

Whom do you invite to dinner party?

 

You are having the most remarkable dinner party in history! By suspending time (making the past and present the same time) you are able to invite 10 people who are living, or who are dead, to your party. Which 10 people will you choose?

 

Consider

1. It is unnecessary that the guests be «important», you can choose someone who is interesting for other reasons.

2. Perhaps you might want to establish a theme for the evening; one group of guests might like to have fun; another group might like to discuss interesting philosophical questions.

3. Here is a list of possible quests:

 

Giacomo Casanova John Lennon Madonna
Lady Murasaki Napoleon Socrates
Moses Cleopatra Julius Caesar
Pélé Golda Meir Nicolai Lenin
Albert Einstein Mao Tse-tung Marco Polo
Mohammed Maradona Karl Marx
Stevie Wonder William Shakespeare Gandhi
Jesus Adolf Hitler Pablo Picasso
Sigmund Freud Leonardo da Vinci Ludwig van Beethoven
Confucius Michelangelo Johann Sebastian Bach
Marquis de Sade Sylvester Stallone Moammar Gaddafi
Aristotle Mikhail Gorbachev Lady Diana
Adam Anwar Sadat Martina Navratilova
Eve Buddha Yassir Arafat
Fidel Castro Walt Disney Alexander the Great
Khomeini Madame Curie Julio Iglesias

 

Decide and write:

 

Model: Dinner guest 1____________________________________

Reason invited:__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 2:__________________________________________

Reason invited:__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 3:__________________________________________

Reason invited:__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 4:__________________________________________

Reason invited:__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 5:__________________________________________

Reason invited___________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 6:__________________________________________

Reason invited__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 7:__________________________________________

Reason invited___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 8:__________________________________________

Reason invited___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 9:__________________________________________

Reason invited___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Dinner guest 10:_________________________________________

Reason invited___________________________________________

Discuss

Verbally compare your decisions with those classmates in your discussion group.

Explain and defend your opinions. Listen carefully to your classmate’s opinions, but do not be afraid to disagree with those opinions. Try to reach a group consensus on the best solution to the problem. One person in the group should write down the group’s decision.

 

Extend

1. Women are generally thought to be better conversationalists than men. Why might this be so?

2. Do you prefer people who talk a lot or people who rarely speak? Explain.

3. In your country, what do people enjoy talking about? When and where do such conversations take place?

4. Do you agree that «Conversation is the spice of life»? What does this mean?

5. Imagine that you invited two famous people to your home for dinner last night. Write a two-page dialogue revealing the conversation that took place.

Plan the Perfect «Core» College Curriculum.

The professors of your university are very upset by recent studies showing that the average graduate from your school is less competent than the average graduate of 20 years ago. As a result, the professors have insisted that the entire educational approach be changed. Instead of students taking only elective courses, they must take three years (144 units) of «core» (basic) courses. Only during their senior year they may take electives (non-required courses chosen by a student) in their major (student’s main field of interest).

According to the professors, «the core courses must be designed to give the student a broad background in the general humanities and sciences with the result that the student possesses analytical skills and written and verbal activity necessary to be a leader in society.

 

Consider

Each course in four units. You may require a student to take more than four units (or no units) in the following subjects:

 

anthropology economics philosophy
art engineering physical education
astronomy foreign languages physics
biology geography political science
botany geology psychology
business administration history religion
chemistry journalism sociology
composition linguistics speech
computers literature statistics
dance mathematics zoology
drama music  

 

The core plan (144 units; 12 courses – 48 units per year)

 

  I. Freshman Year  
Fall Quarter Winter Quarter Spring Quarter
1._____________ 1.______________ 1._____________
2._____________ 2.______________ 2._____________
3._____________ 3.______________ 3._____________
4._____________ 4.______________ 4._____________
     
  II. Sophomore Year  
Fall Quarter Winter Quarter Spring Quarter
1._____________ 1.______________ 1._____________
2._____________ 2.______________ 2._____________
3._____________ 3.______________ 3._____________
4._____________ 4.______________ 4._____________
     
  III. Junior Year  
Fall Quarter Winter Quarter Spring Quarter
1._____________ 1.______________ 1._____________
2._____________ 2.______________ 2._____________
3._____________ 3.______________ 3._____________
4._____________ 4.______________ 4._____________

 

Discuss

Verbally compare your decision with those of the classmates in your discussion group.

Explain and defend your opinions. Listen carefully to your classmate’s opinions, but do not be afraid to disagree with those opinions. Try to reach a group consensus on the best solution to the problem. One person on the group should write down the group’s decision.

 

Extend

1. When is the best time to choose a major – before university studies? Or at some point during studies (what point)?

2. Is it a god idea for every student to study the same basic subjects before choosing a major?

3. In some countries, such as Japan, there is little relationship between what a student major in and her ultimate job after graduation. What do you think of this system?

4. Rate the following subjects in order of importance to students (1 = most important, 8 = least important):

 

___psychology ___native language ___philosophy
___biology ___art ___mathematics
  ___foreign languages  

American idioms

«People the world over who are studying English as a second language do not find it easy to use idiomatic expressions fluently. Even those well trained in English are often puzzled by the idiomatic structure of the language. And if they steer clear of idiomatic usage, their speech and writing tend to become formal and stilted.» (1, P. 4).

Use these exercises to become familiar with the idioms. You may want to refer to the definitions and examples at the end of this chapter while you do them.

 


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 819


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