Brittney's Gonna Be An American Abroad!!

In terms of strengths, I am very open-minded. I love trying new things and I’m not picky. I’m excited to experience “top of the iceberg” of Japan. That said, I not very flexible. I usually go with the flow, but doing so in another culture seems difficult. Abroad I’ll probably be the type who likes to know what’s happening and have a full understanding. However, I am already preparing myself for not always having full understanding while abroad. So, that weakness shouldn’t hinder me much. The “bottom of the iceberg” is where I will struggle the most. For example: higher context language, gift giving, eating etiquette. A good pre-departure strategy that I’m currently using is to inform myself of Japan’s social and cultural differences. No matter what challenges I face, I'm going to let my excitement and determination for success get me through. For learning more in depth about Japan, I think it’s important to talk to Japanese students and just take in the experience. To keep the experience, I should write in a journal and note all the things I’ve learned as well as have I felt during that experience. This will help me remember and reflect on my study abroad. I’m not sure when it comes to the aspects of my identity. I know I’ll try to remain myself, but it could be an issue if I accidentally offend people or seem weird. I’ll do my best educate others about my culture. Though, I’d have to educate myself first in subjects like politics and economics. Overall, I’ll try to a good representative of the U.S.

Blog #2

 My strengths to being able to adapt to a new culture are that I'm a friendly person, and i'm willing to try new things. The things I will lack it would be not fully knowing the language and navigating my way through the city. I think by just keeping a positive mindset and enjoying the moment I will be just fine when I get there adapting to the new culture. I hope when I go I can educate others about how some of the negative american stereotypes are not true. I want to learn the business side of the argentine culture and I also want to learn how society operates in that culture as well. The skill I am dying to lear is the skill of being diverse and adaptable to more than one cultures.

Blog 2: An American Abroad

Since I’m a third-culture kid and a religious minority, I think I do a good job of being open to different cultures. Japanese culture is something I’ve informally studied ever since I was a child, and recently I’ve been trying to watch as many videos as I can to learn quirks about Japanese culture or some culture shock experiences other foreigners have faced while in Japan. However, no amount of studying or researching will truly prepare me for what I’m going to experience while I’m abroad.

I’m a very direct person, but Japanese people come from a high-context culture so they tend to talk in circles or beat around the bush a lot. That is something I’m going to struggle with while in Japan, but it won’t be that bad since I know to expect it already. Considering how introverted I am, I’m actually not sure how straightforward I will be since I’ll be in a country where most people don’t speak English, and I’m shy when it comes to starting conversations with native Japanese speakers. Again, my experience as a third-culture kid helps me when it comes to understanding cultural differences.

I want to bring all aspects of my identity…but I’m not sure which ones I’ll be educating people about. I guess it will be whatever comes up in conversation! I’m not your stereotypical American, so Japanese people might be a bit surprised when they meet me!

Honestly, I’m not worried so much about being faced with a new culture more than I am with the fact that I won’t be in an English-speaking country or the fact that it will be monsoon season the entire time I’m in Japan (sighs). 😓

Until next time! またね! 👋

An American Abroad

My internship in Prague will be my first time abroad. In the beginning, I was nervous about how I would fit in while abroad, but as I have learned more about myself through the culture assignments, I realize that I will be fine. Based on my self-audit, I am more independent, open, and flexible than I thought. I am able to do things on my own and take charge in situations where that is needed. I have always been open to trying new things and having new experiences. As much as I like having a plan, I am able to improvise and be flexible based on the circumstances. When traveling abroad, there may be many unexpected happenings that you may not be completely prepared for, so there is a need to keep an open mind.

Even though I am open to different strategies when it comes to learning to exist in a different culture, the culture I am going to be working in is somewhat similar to my own. The Czech Republic is a low context culture. The culture has an appreciation for individualism much like the United States. It matches my personal cultural context and it somewhat resembles what I am used to. Although I would be comfortable working in a culture that is different from my own, the similarities will make the transition much easier. Being an American abroad in Prague is looking like it will be a great experience.

An American Abroad

New Culture or First Long-term Experience Abroad

Using the Self Audit, Culture Strategies Survey and Cultural-Context Inventory as your guide, what are some of the strengths (or strategies) that you personally bring to the table when it comes to learning about and adapting to a new culture? What challenges are you going to face, and are there strategies that you think will work well for you to learn more in depth about the cultural traits of your host country?  What aspects of your identity or of “being an American (or your own culture if not American)” will you bring and educate others about?

I am one step closer to being a student abroad, and I am absolutely terrified. 

This past week, I've watched multiple videos all about Wroclaw, Poland. I've watched the market square set up for an average day, and I've listened to locals talk about Wroclaw University. 

And I'm still absolutely terrified.

After taking the multiple surveys given to us, I've come to realize that I have no reason to be this scared. I'm a completely open person, always engaging in conversations and activities. I love meeting new people and introducing them into my life. 

Oh, right. The fact that I'm totally anxiety ridden and have a hard time putting my first foot forward. That will get me.

Being an American, we are seen as over talkative and very political. I am neither of these things, and I haven't decided if that is a good or bad thing. I want it to be good, so I can break the "American Dream" idea to anyone that meets me. I've come to the conclusion that I will fit in better in Poland than I do in America.

I'm reading into the Polish history and culture, and I feel content. I have this idea that I'm going to seamlessly slip into this culture and live in it easier than I do in America. Of course, I can't expect that to happen right off the bat. I'm going to have to convert myself to fit in - and I'm excited for that challenge. The prospect of meeting friends from a different country and getting along with them - that makes it all worthwhile. 

Of course, I have to talk about eating. I've watched Anthony Bourdain and he is my own personal hero. I will be thinking of him as I bite into sausage and try every type of food that is put on a plate before me. (No, I'm not just going to Poland for the food, even if that's what it sounds like. Nope.)

All in all, I think it will go pretty smoothly. I'm the type of person that will make friends with anyone willing, so I'm excited to see who wants to meet a non-traditional American in Poland and possibly adopt me. 

Żegnajcie przyjaciele

An American Abroad (AAA)

Based on the surveys I took, I feel I will be very open to the new challenges I will partake in while abroad. Some of my strengths will be that I am very open-minded, always aware of my surroundings, and I enjoy new things. However, there are also a little stuff that I may struggle with. The main thing I may struggle with is that as an American, I am a somewhat independent person as most Americans are. However, most Latin American countries including Argentina are very integrated. They do a lot of things as a whole. Although it showed up as one of my weaknesses on the survey, I feel that it will not be that much of a challenge. I am a people's person and is very open-minded so I will be willing to partake in the groups activities. Moreover, after doing more stuff in groups in Argentina, I may begin to like it instead of being a more independent person or I could just adapt to it and go back to being more independent once I return to the US. Either way i feel this experience will teach me a lot about myself.

Ya girl Ginny Goes Abroad (well, she's getting there)

Immersing myself in a new culture won’t be an entirely new experience for me which makes it a lot less daunting. Over the years, I’ve learned that the best way for me to “survive and thrive” as a child of immigrants in the United States was to adapt and go with the flow. By this, I do not mean mindless assimilation but I mean finding the balance between the maintenance of my own identity as I discover more parts of it.

In regards to my internship abroad (coming up soon!!!!), I think that the experience of learning how to be myself in this country is something of interest that I can use as a conversational point about culture to local Kiwis and the Maori people if I get a chance to visit Rotorua. With New Zealand culture, I think it will be something that I can easily immerse myself in because the Asian influence on their culture is longstanding and almost nonchalant whereas it is not nearly as pronounced stateside, or at least not in East Tennessee. Here at home, that’s only something I can see at my house or in a very specific setting. Though I’m not sure what excursions my program has beyond the Bridging Cultures on-site orientation in Auckland, I have already been considering what activities I can do in Wellington on my own (for a reasonable price, of course) since my internship advisors have been generous enough to give me time to explore for eight long weekends.

While I’m entirely sure what the New Zealanders will be expecting about me, but I will need to prepare myself for the inevitable that they will probably be somewhat wrong but also somewhat correct. However, that’s a theme that has followed me my entire life since people aren’t quite sure how to feel about a Filipino woman that was born and raised in East Tennessee, so it feels as though as my life has been building up to this test for a while now. I think that my role there will not be to educate them about my very specific demographic, but just to show New Zealanders what being American means by showing that there is more than one type of American.

In conclusion, the best way for me to truly enjoy my time in New Zealand will be to use my approach of not having concrete expectations. This itself is a tricky task because it hasn’t quite sunken in that I am going to be across the world by myself for almost two months. Here’s to hoping that fake it til you make it will keep me calm until after my plane lands in Auckland.