Living like a Norwegian

Studying abroad will feel like being at a new school all over again. Everything is an unknown, direction and culture. Although this might scare some, I think this might be one of the most important and fun times. Don’t get me wrong, it will absolutely be hard at some times but why should it be easy? The best things happen when you are outside your comfort zone. Maryville College is quite comfortable for me, Nord University will not be in any way. I am excited to be outside my comfort zone because I will be ready to experience that. Coming in as a freshman, I was not ready. I think my understanding that it will be hard but rewarding will help me hold a better mindset to experience the unknown.

Living like a local is going to be very important to me. I think it would be a shame to go abroad and only interact with people from the US. Luckily, there will be very few international students and I will be forced to interact with locals. I also will be sharing a kitchen with 10 other people so I think that will make it easier to meet people.

I think my everyday life there will be filled with being in awe of everything I come across. Everything will be so new and exciting and I absolutely can’t wait!!

Living Like a Local in Puebla, Mexico

To me, living like a local in Maryville, TN means taking the backroads to the mall, finding killer food at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and knowing where to go on weekends to avoid flocks of drunk UT kids. But in a city with ALMOST 100 TIMES the population of Maryville, TN, living like a local in Puebla, Mexico will certainly prove challenging if not a huge change of pace. First of all, only 12% of the population of Mexico speaks English, so I'm prepared to absorb as much of the language and local dialect as I can so that interacting with locals doesn't have to be burdened by a language barrier. I have already incorporated UPAEP's service learning program into my studies so that I'll be immersed in volunteer opportunities and other events in the community throughout the semester. Two of my classes will be Spanish for English speakers, but I'm also taking two classes offered for all students, so I'm hoping to make both international friends and local friends as well. I'll also be staying with a host family whom I'm really looking forward to meeting and asking about local life in Puebla. By choosing a host family, I've put myself in the position to have knowledgable tour guides for the bustling, vibrant city of Puebla who might also have friends and connections in Puebla beyond those that I'd only make at school.

I imagine myself wandering aimlessly through the city taking photos of everything and still trying to act cool like I'm not fascinated by everything and everyone in Puebla. In reality, it's much more likely that I'll be delightfully overwhelmed by street food, pedestrians, crazy Mexican traffic, festivals, stray dogs, occasional (or frequent) catcalls, confusing bus routes, and the unfamiliar life of a busy city dweller. I've accepted that "living like a local" is far too loaded with presumptions that I'm eventually going to make it out of the clumsy tourist faze. But as long as I get some great photos, friends, and food out of it, I'm looking forward to being the crazy blonde girl standing in the street taking pictures of nothing extraordinary in the opinion of the locals passing by.

Intercultural Competency

"Living like a local" means to me that you learn the different culture that you are in and try to live it to the best of your ability. I feel as if living like a local can help many aspects of your experience abroad. When I go abroad in Puerto Rico, I want to try to see all of the different culture points on the island and learn about their history. I think that learning a different culture starts off with learning a little bit about the country's history. Then later, you can start to learn about more modern culture and how they live their lives on an every day basis. While I am abroad, I also want to be in more rural areas where the culture is rich instead of places where there are tons of tourists and resorts. Those types of places seem to be a lot more Americanized and that is not want I want to experience while I am abroad. I want to get the full experience of the Puerto Rican culture. I want to immerse myself into the every day culture of Puerto Rico and live like I am originally from there. I think that this would be the only way to fully understand how these people live on a daily basis.

Intercultural Competency

The words "living like a local" to me means that a person as adapted to a culture well enough to be able to live within that culture without feeling like an outsider. While I'm abroad I plan to be involved  with campus life as much as possible. I feel that being involved with campus life will give me a way to interact more with locals. I plan on getting involved in campus life by joining clubs and and playing sports. To fully immerse myself into the culture I plan be very outgoing and make local friends. I will do this first within the classroom. While in the classroom I plan to be vocal and approachable. Some specific opportunities I feel my host institution is being a significant help in helping me to live like a local. Being involved on campus will force me to be involved with locals therefore allowing me to be more comfortable on the environment. At first I imagine my day to day life as trying to make friends and adjusting to the culture. However, once I begin to make friends and become comfortable in my surroundings, I plan my daily life to be as enjoyable as I can make it. The biggest gain I expect from living like a local is making life long friends. Another gain I expect is making my first time going abroad a success. In the future I plan on traveling to different countries. By studying abroad, I will learn ways that will personally help me to adapt to different cultures. One thing that I think will ease my transition is just keeping an open mind. This will allow me to adapt more quickly and willingly.

Intercultural Competency

I plan to get involved with campus or community by looking to join temporary clubs or a local gym. I hope this will allow me to create friendships which will help me learn the culture more. Living like a local to me means that I fit in to the Argentine society. It means that I am accepted as one of their own. This is important to me because I want to fully adapt to the culture and and fit in like a local. Everyday I plan to just do something out of my comfort zone and just to explore the city with friends and locals. I also plan to ask a lot of questions to get a better understanding about the new culture I'm in. Some opportunities I expect to find are festivals or any type of field trips my institution will ask for. I plan to make local friends by going out a lot or joining a gym like I said before. The one thing I hope to gain the most is to learn how to be accepting and the ability to adapt to a new culture. One thing that will help ease my transition will be knowing that I need to do stuff outside of my comfort zone.

Intercultural Competency

After the initial culture shock I'll have for m being in a new culture, one way i plan to immerse my self in local customs is trying to have as many types of food as possible. Going to Argentina, meat is the main staple of the diet and I plan on finding and eating local foods in order to meet the locals and get to know the city better. i imagine my daily routine will be going to class then finding a place to eat or exploring the city. there are many excursions planned with the course for my trip so it i will have many opportunities to visit many different places and try new things I just have to remember to keep an open mind. I hope to gain the point of view of a different culture and make some friends. Once I get used to daily life in Argentina I am sure I will be able to thrive and live like the locals.

Expectations and Living Like a Local (Intercultural Competency)

• How do you want to get involved on campus and/or in the community?
• I don't know what recreational activities are on campus or if I’ll be able to participate in them, but I do want to attend some club activities. Also regularly attending the Japanese plaza on campus will allow me to know people outside my classes and possibly learn about different events. As for the community, I should visit local businesses and get to know my neighbors who live in different dorms. I’m not sure how actually to go about it, but perhaps I could ask my Japanese roommate for tips.
• What does “living like a local” mean to you and why is it important while you study abroad?
• “Living like a local” means not just knowing how to interact with your surroundings like the locals, but also being comfortable doing so. It’s one thing to know all the rules, but something different entirely to apply them. For example, I know that in Japan slurping noodles is good dining etiquette, however because it is the reverse in my home culture, I will not feel comfortable doing so and it may take a while to feel comfortable. To “live like a local” is one of the most significant aspects of studying abroad. It includes immersing yourself in a culture so deeply that you’ve learned and can apply many social rules that are hidden “under the iceberg”. Which is one of the goals of studying abroad - to study a culture above and under the iceberg.
• In what ways do you plan on fully immersing yourself into the various aspects of your host culture (to live like a local), both on campus and in the community?
• I plan to use what I know and learn from trial and error. People watching is another strategy I can use - watching how locals interact. I'm a social introvert so too many interactions are tiresome, but I must refrain from spending too much time in my room and try to stay outside of our dorm. Again, I could ask my roommate tips if she’s not tired of her foreign roommates.
• What are some of the specific opportunities that you can find through your host institution? In your host community?
• An opportunity that I have mentioned before is going to the Japanese plaza on campus. There, only Japanese is allowed to be spoken which will increase my causal Japanese-speaking skills. The dorm I’ll be staying in has a community lounge for all residents and visitors. I don’t know what is included in the lounge, but studying or hanging out there often could help me meet new people.
• How are you going to make local friends?
• I’m not sure specifically, but I imagine that I’d do it the same way I did when I first came to college. Introduce myself to others, go to campus and community events and introduce myself to others there. Hopefully, I’ll find people who can tolerate my bad Japanese, can be patient with me, and share some interests.
• What do you imagine your day to day life looking like?
• A morning freak-out of all I have to do; getting dressed and ready (I may have to fight my roommates for the bathroom); leaving early because my dorm isn’t on campus; intense Japanese practice which will probably stress me out; After class go to the Japanese Plaza or watch Youtube to relieve stress; Finding lunch (maybe on campus or at a nearby eatery); Doing my homework with the help of friends; Begging my Japanese friends to take me somewhere cool or for tips; Crying for my mother; then taking a shower; prepare for the next day while listening to music (Of course this is subject to change with uncontrollable variables of illness, culture shock, extreme stress, etc.)
• What do you hope to gain most from your approach to getting involved and living like a local?
• I hope to gain life-long friends and connections for possible future professions.
• What is one thing you will do to ease your transition into a new culture, and deal with the adjustments you will face?
• I will bring items from home that make me feel comfortable like a stuffed animal and some posters for my room. Decorating my room to create a comfortable and familiar space, for me, is ideal for immediate stress relief.