Week 6 Learning a Second Language

Learning a second language can be a challenging task for some, yet for others it can come very easily. I had the opportunity to interview a Local lady named Anna who not only was fluent in English and German, but Spanish as well. Retaining other languages was somewhat simple for her as she found interest in all of the benefits that came along with learning how to interact and talk with others from another culture. I noticed while communicating with her that she was very confident in her presentation and word choice as she has a lot of background studying words. Anna’s first language is English and then she decided to Take German and Spanish in school which she is now getting a degree in both languages so she can one day become a teacher to help others learn the languages that influenced her life in many ways.

Anna wanted to learn the languages because she was really interested in becoming multilingual, and languages themselves always intrigued her. The way people have evolved in different areas with completely different alphabets and vocal sounds is something that has influenced her to travel to experience the usage first hand. The similarities and differences in the structure of languages was a challenge for her as she seems to be one who wants to accomplish hard tasks learning all there is to improve her life. Anna is a quarter German, and still has family living in Germany, so she wants to learn more about their culture to be able to pass it on to the future generations of her family. I thought that was a really sweet statement as it seems like not very many people these days are looking back into their family tree trying to keep traditions alive, but Anna is one of the exceptions.

The process of learning the languages was hard at the beginning but over time it became easier for her to understand and use it correctly. The first foreign language Anna learned was Spanish, a romance language, which she said was very easy to be introduced to because the sentence structure and rules of grammar are pretty similar to those of the English language, especially in the way they are taught. German was her second language which was very different because it is a lot more strict. For instance, the verb is always the second part of a basic sentence, and in most clauses the verb has to be at the end, and usually the prepositions always come at the end of the sentence too. This was confusing for me to understand at first but she did a great job explaining it as she could tell I was lost by the look on my face. Anna said that the German language just has a lot of rules that English doesn´t have, so it was difficult to get used to at the beginning but now she can speak it fluently.

There are many advantages to knowing more than one language. For Anna it was being able to speak with more people, or to have the opportunity to work within Europe and overseas. She wouldn’t be able to use German much if she chose to work in the United States because it is pretty uncommon there, but to live in London she could then move to almost any European city as she would be able to find work that would involve speaking or translating German, since it is quite widely used in this part of the world. She said that it is helping her learn more by being connected with her family’s ancestry and history.

Some of the disadvantages to knowing more than one language would be getting them confused with one another. Learning the grammar and spelling of other languages she said has actually hindered her English grammar and spelling, just because there are so many rules going through her head it is hard to keep them straight sometimes. This would become very distracting for me to try and differentiate them from one another while trying to hold a conversation in the right context. Overall, Anna came to the conclusion that there were no real disadvantages to knowing more than one language, as it has benefited her in many ways.

The most significant impact on Anna’s life by knowing more than one language is that it has given her the chance to travel all over Europe and experience not only one other culture, but the tons of European cultures because the countries are so close. She said that she tries to travel a lot as she gets to meet people from all over the world, talk to them and learn about their countries. Anna quoted that “being able to communicate in a foreign language has given me a new perspective on how the world is viewed through the eyes of another culture and society”. I think that this was a huge impact on her life from an outsider’s view as we had a wonderful conversation on languages.

I would say that for someone else to know another language would be very valuable information to obtain if they ever wanted to travel a lot or especially for extended periods of time spent in another country. It would also provide a better job position if you are looking for a career, as being bilingual or even multilingual is rare. Having not only the ability to speak to someone of another language, but the ability to do so well is a major factor as many sounds cans be similar to one another. I also think that learning another language would not only increase his/her knowledge but use more of the brain.

If I were to learn another language it would be Spanish. Geographically, where I live on the west coast of the United States, there are many Mexicans and it would be nice to be able to talk to them in their native tongue. It would also benefit me to learn Spanish if I was to travel to Mexico or even other parts of the world, as it would be a lot easier to get around. To know if I was getting ripped off for something I wanted to buy or even if there was a bad situation, I could get help easier by knowing what to ask for. I think that learning another language would benefit me in a lot of ways just like it did in Anna’s case. Language is constantly changing as some are no longer in existence and others are just now coming into play. Without having the ability to communicate to one another, the world as we know it would be no longer. That is why I think it would be interesting to know another language, so I can help keep languages alive in honor of our ancestors and for the children of the future.

Week 4 Age Identity

Age identity, what does this have to do with who I am? Well, as we get older our identity will change not only within ourselves, but also by how others interpret our actions, looks, and behaviors based on what they have observed. From this we gain additional insight of what it means to be our age and how we identify ourselves throughout society.

I am a 20 year old woman and I feel like I have fulfilled the looks of that age group. I am quite mature for my age so in that area I may not be 20 years old but then again I also have my child side of me that doesn't want to grow up. These two counteract and place me exactly where I think I should be in relation to others.

My age identity has changed over the last few weeks by the new experiences and encounters I have came across from another culture. Being able to travel while I'm studying abroad has given me a different outlook on life by learning a lot for my age. Interacting with people from other cultural norms strengthens my ability to communicate and interact with people from my age group and other age groups. Trying to understand and relate to another culture based on what I knew before I came to London was difficult until I emerged myself into their society.

When I get home, I think that my identity will be different by having all of these new experiences play a role in my daily life. Seeing another side of the world has opened myself up to seeing another side of me. When I get back to hang out with my family and friends, I'm expecting a reaction of accomplishment and growth. I came to London, did almost everything on my own and learned a lot more of what it means to be independent.

In the end, my age identity changes over time with the influence of new experiences and will always represent who I am. My actions, looks and behaviors have changed and will continue to do so as long as I am still engaging myself in different cultures constantly learning what they have to offer me. I still have more to come on my journey across the sea, so we will learn together how I have grown and changed over 10 weeks.

Week 3 Interviewing Herriett

Over time there are important changes in our lives that affect us, family, friends and community members. I had the opportunity to interview an elderly lady named Harriett who provided me with an insider's view of what it was like growing up in London. The way WWII influenced her life along with some of the technology that came out created a lot of changes not only for her, but her community as well. My experiences growing up are quite different than the ones she experienced as generations and eras have changed over time not only between the two of us, but within our own countries as well.

Some of the changes that she has experienced over her life time are due to WWII ending. Harriett was only a child when her family was going through hard times trying to get through day by day. She said "the war changed the way I grew up as a kid because my parents wouldn’t let me go out with my friends". I find this to be very interesting to hear since I personally have not experienced living in a war zone before. I could tell by the way she reflected back on the memories that it had a huge impact on her opportunities to do things such as attending more school since she had to help out at home. Her father was in the war so she didn’t get to see him much during that time. He was also the one that knew all of their family stories that were passed down from generations before, but after the war she said he didn’t have much to say anymore. I thought it was strange how strong the war affected him that their family history of stories died along with him over time.

Another change that Harriett mentioned was how technology has advanced over the years. Televisions, phones and finally computers had a big impact on the way she communicated with her family and friends. This also affected her whole community by not as many people were getting together with friends or neighbours because they were too busy with the new gadget. Instead of walking down the street to tell someone something it turned into a phone call. Then for her it went from playing outside and making up new hands on games to watching the T.V. from the comfort of her own living room. I remember being a kid and playing outside with my brother or other friends along with watching cartoons before breakfast and school as it was normal. She said that she didn't have that opportunity growing up. Listening to what she had to say about how people are drifting apart due to new inventions was very interesting because she pretty much lived through it all. I personally like the new inventions and technology, but for her she wishes it would go back to when she was younger so there would be more interaction between people.

Overall, I think that the changes I have experienced growing up in the U.S. are nothing compared to the way her childhood was during the war living in London. As far as the Technology goes, I think that the world was pretty close together on a timeline for when things started coming into the hands of the public. The most compelling thing I learned from interviewing Harriett was that she thought the world was turning into a lazy society due to all of the time spent watching the newest show or playing a video game instead of board game. I agree with that point, although she is now retired and involving herself in less strenuous activities that she said it hurts to fall into the new idea of living as she liked the older way. This interview went very well as I found out that age definitely affects the way we look at life along with the community that we grow up in.

Week 2 Values and Perceptions

Have you ever thought about the perceptions of different cultures and what their values are compared to ours? It varies within each country as well as each individual person as it can change over time with experience or cultural encounters. There are many different types of value orientations along with value dimensions that influence the way people think, act and try to understand or sometimes not understand life.

Prior to my departure to London, my cultural perception of the United Kingdom was that I thought everyone loved football and had crooked teeth. After being here two weeks now I have noticed that not all of my perceptions were correct. I interviewed a British confidant who helped me get a better understanding of why I may have thought their culture was the way I pictured it to be. The gentlemen said that football is a big deal here in their country but not everyone likes it or has the same interest in the same thing. There are people with crooked teeth here but it is pretty much like everywhere else. The genes are hereditary and the people don't congregate in one specific area as different cultural norms vary over the world.

I think that values mean something different to every person no matter where they may live. my own value system revolves around the personality preference and the "doing" orientation. This means that I like to stay very busy always trying to find something else to do and get things accomplished. The more on my plate the better so I can look back and say I did it. This also connects to my value dimension of long-term verse short-term perceptions where I live and focus short-term on what is going on right now in my life. I find it important to look at what is happening around me today and I will just have to wait and see what the future has to offer when it comes.

Based on my perceptions and current understandings of the British culture that I have experienced, I think that the British value the personality preference of "doing" as well. The environment is very active and it seems like the city never sleeps as there is always something that needs to be done. For their value of dimensions I would consider power distance to be an interesting role within their culture. It is as if there isn't much definition between roles of lower and higher power. The managers or upper hierarchy are more or less role models and friends of the people below them. I think that the roles compare to a lot like culture in the U.S., for a relationship with one another is essential and considered to be highly important

After talking to the gentleman that I interviewed he said that he would consider his value of orientation to be that of "being", this is to exist as you are and it doesn't matter to be just normal or strive to be better. He likes to live life with no time boundaries or orientation. For his value of dimensions he agreed with me about long-term verse short-term and how he doesn't really plan too much for the future as he may not be alive ti live for the experience he once in visioned and worked towards.

Overall, I found out that there are a lot of similarities and differences between other cultures with our values meaning something else to every individual. Over time we change inside and out which influence us in the long run for becoming what we want to be in life. We change as we get older and more things come into our life that raise a higher importance on our list of values. I still have 8 weeks left over here in London so we will see what else I come up with and learn about myself, my culture, and those around me.

First week in London!

The travel adventure of my life began last friday September 19th, 2008 when i boarded a plane to London! I will be here for 10 weeks attending the University of London Union. So far this place is amazing with the wide variety of new things to go do and see. I am living with a home stay family and they have a lovely home that is quite big for the area they live in. I find it interesting how people over here drive on the other side of the road and there are no laws about crossing the street at cross walks or in the middle of the road. I always catch myself looking the other way when traffic is approaching and then realizing the cars are coming from the right. I love riding on the top of the big double decker buses and the TUBE is very sufficient in getting me where i need to be in a reasonable amount of time. Going from driving my own car everywhere to relying on public transportation has been quite the challenge but very useful into pushing me out of my norm. This week has been extremely upbeat and fast passe as I am getting situated with school and a new environment. I have a lot of fun trips planned ahead of me as I leave tomorrow for Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany and the spend some time in Switzerland before i have to be back in London for class on Monday. Having the opportunity of a lifetime at my hands is an incredible feeling knowing that i am very lucky to be where i am in life today. More posts of where i am will be on the way!