Intercultural Awareness
Summer 2021

Due to the pandemic, I had to complete my study abroad course online.  Although I had a different experience than most people who participate in a travel abroad program, I still had a great experience and learned a lot from the course.  During the summer of 2021 I was able to take a two-week course, about intercultural awareness, taught my two amazing professors and HAN University, based out of the Netherlands. 

The two-week course was only taken by students who did not attend HAN University.  Hence, I got to take the course and have daily discussion from people around the world.  We were tasked with reflecting on our own culture norms and practices.  Then, we discussed the similarities and differences between them.  It was very interesting hearing what different countries value and how that was similar or different from other countries.  For example, a German student discussed the importance of being on time in Germany, and how German people believe that being on time is showing up early.  Contrasting, both are professors discussed that the Dutch are more relaxed with time, and do not value being early as much as the Germans.  They also demonstrated this by starting class five to ten minutes late if not everyone had shown up yet. 

For just two- weeks in this course, I learned so much!  However, two things really stood out to me during the lessons.  First, it is so important when working with people from different cultures to be mindful of small things such as introductions when making a connection.  Whether for business or friendship, different movements and practices can be misperceived or take on the wrong tone.  Second, I realized that due to the United States size there are so many different subcultures to take into account.  For example, where I am from it is not unusual to smile at people when walking passed them or ask how they are doing.  Contrasting, in more urban areas, I notice that people do not talk to fellow pedestrians, and often are in a rush to get somewhere.  Therefore, by taking this class, I was able to learn more about how I may be perceived among different groups within my own country. 

As a future teacher, I think it is of the up most importance to be aware of yourself because you want your students to feel welcomed.   In addition, you also want to build positive relationships with the community and parents.  Students come from all different backgrounds and experiences, hence you must create a classroom community that reflects compassion and patience, so not only do students trust you, but they can build positive relationships with their peers. 

For my artifact, seen below, I worked with students from Great Britain and Germany on a presentation.  For our presentation we reflected on  what we believed to be the most important take a ways from the course, while also comparing and contrasting our countries.