The surveys we took last week were really eye-opening. I got to see how my culture could affect my time abroad and what kind of "cultural baggage" I would be bringing with me. Using the surveys, I discovered that I am very open-minded and willing to try new things but that I may need to work on flexibility. I didn't score very "low" in this area, however, it was my lowest scoring area. I think my communication skills will help me with flexibility and just researching different things to expect from my host culture. For example, it will be good to know how punctual the trains are and things of that nature, that way I am not surprised or annoyed if things do not work in the way I was expecting.
I scored a 6 on the high context culture survey, and I think this fits rather well with the United Kingdom. In class, we discussed how the general American (United States) population is a low context country, but according to the charts and graphs, the UK falls in the moderate high context culture area. I guess living in the South might end up being helpful for study abroad in England!
I know that being aware of cultural differences and remaining sensitive to how people are responding to me (which is something I do anyway) will be helpful in navigating this new culture. Showing empathy, researching my host culture, having open communication with my peers, faculty (at MC and at the U Essex), and other members of the community I will meet are all strategies I will use while I go abroad. Overall, I think I'm a pretty adaptable person and it doesn't take me long to adjust to change; however, I know that the period of adjustment is difficult no matter how quickly it happens. I've never been abroad before so I'm hoping to use a variety of strategies to make sure I have the best experience possible. And the surveys really helped!
--Hannah
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