1) A few themes that I noticed throughout our experience were perception, acculturation, and nonverbal communication. All the time my group spent with our family taught all of us to have different perceptions of each situation. My perception at the beginning of our visits drastically changed by the time we were done. At the beginning, I was very nervous to work with a family from the Middle East. Even though I was being judgmental towards them, I had never been around people of that culture so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. My perception of them in the beginning was that they didn't speak English, they didn't like America and they didn't want to be there. I was so far off with my original perception and I now feel that I have a better perception because I have worked with them. My perception now is that they are simply like everyone else. They were very kind and wonderful to us every time we were there. Every time we came they were very welcoming and excited to see us, which felt very good and helped us to be more comfortable with them. Not only did my perception change but I think that my group members perception changed as well. I also think that the family's perception changed somewhat from our first encounter to the last. The other major theme that I noticed while we were there was acculturation. Each time that we visited, we worked on their ability to speak English. They all were very determined to learn and understand what we were trying to teach them. Seeing how far they have come was an amazing experience, because you could see how hard they all were working to learn English. This is an example of acculturation because they continued to follow their previous cultures rules, however they were learning to adapt to this new culture and began learning and accepting these new ways. The last theme that was very apparent to me was nonverbal communication. I have experienced this many times before due to a language barrier. Nonverbal communication is used everywhere and is a very effective way of communicating, especially when you're trying to speak to someone that doesn't speak in the same language. In order for us to effectively get a message across to our family we had to use nonverbal communication because it was the only way they were able to understand most of what we were trying to say to them.
2) This experience has helped shape my future interpersonal interactions because I now know how to deal with being put into a new, uncertain experience with people from different cultures. I know that I need to go into the new opportunity with an open mind, and not allow my previous experiences or perceptions to effect the way that I act in my first encounter. I learned that I need to go into every new experience without taking into account my previous experiences so that I am not biased and am open to whatever this new opportunity has in store for me. After this experience, it makes me look forward to the next opportunity I will have to work with people from different cultures.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Blog #5
1) The last visit that we had with our family was a bit sad, yet again very successful. We decided to do something fun since it was our last visit, so we made cookies with them. It was a lot of fun and we ended up having a yummy snack afterwards also. It amazed me how well the kids already knew how to use everything in the kitchen. I don't think that when I was Baneen's age, I knew how to stick the cookies in the oven or how to turn the oven off or on for that matter. After the cookies were done, we looked at Tahgreed's and Baneen's homework. Tahgreed has been working on her alphabet and Baneen has been working on math and just simple concepts in English. After we were done looking at all their paper work and everything, we helped Baneen fill out a sheet for her school that allowed them to go to a pizza party. It was difficult to do because we could't figure out what grade Mustafa was in because no one was able to tell us. They all just kept saying no number, so Taylor and I both assumed he was in Kindergarten. We ended with watching a few episodes of a children's show. I noticed that the TV was on most of the time we were there and it stays on the children's networks. I think this is good for all of them and they have learned a lot from watching these programs.
2) One of the main communication technique that we use while we are with our family are nonverbal codes. Both the family and Taylor and I used kinesics to get our points across. During this visit we had to use them to find out where all the things were in the kitchen in order to make cookies. We also used them to help describe words to Tahgreed especially. It helped for her to understand what we were talking about. For instance when we would talk about her baby she would have to point to her stomach then count on her fingers to show us when the baby was due. Another concept that I can relate back to is the connection between meaning and words. The language barrier that we have with our family shows that words are arbitrary and don't matter unless they have meaning attached to them. It shows that the words they were speaking to us in their language had no meaning to Taylor and me, and vice versa. The last connection I made from this past visit, was each of their identities. I noticed that Baneen is adapting more to the American way and transforming her identity to the culture that she is in. This supports the four ways that we form our identity. Our identity is constantly changing therefore it is dynamic and multifaceted, and it is also developed from social interaction. Tahgreed on the other hand hasn't changed her identity. Although she is adapting and accepting the English language, she continues to maintain her past identity.
3) Unfortunately we aren't going back to visit our family. However, if we were I think that we would continue to work with Tahgreed on her alphabet and writing. I have noticed that she has come a long way from the first visit, and that she is really trying to adopt the English language. I think that for Mustafa we will just work on vocabulary and broaden his range so that he is able to understand what is going on in school. We didn't work with Saad at all but by the end of our last visit, we were able to somewhat have a conversation and at least get our point across. I found it interesting how easy it was for the kids to say sayings, yet it was difficult for them to just remember simple words. I think that it would be good to teach them more fun sayings and that might help with communicating with other people, especially since they're able to remember it better. Watching children's programs also has helped them advance in the English language so I think it would be a good idea to continue watching them if they have free time.
2) One of the main communication technique that we use while we are with our family are nonverbal codes. Both the family and Taylor and I used kinesics to get our points across. During this visit we had to use them to find out where all the things were in the kitchen in order to make cookies. We also used them to help describe words to Tahgreed especially. It helped for her to understand what we were talking about. For instance when we would talk about her baby she would have to point to her stomach then count on her fingers to show us when the baby was due. Another concept that I can relate back to is the connection between meaning and words. The language barrier that we have with our family shows that words are arbitrary and don't matter unless they have meaning attached to them. It shows that the words they were speaking to us in their language had no meaning to Taylor and me, and vice versa. The last connection I made from this past visit, was each of their identities. I noticed that Baneen is adapting more to the American way and transforming her identity to the culture that she is in. This supports the four ways that we form our identity. Our identity is constantly changing therefore it is dynamic and multifaceted, and it is also developed from social interaction. Tahgreed on the other hand hasn't changed her identity. Although she is adapting and accepting the English language, she continues to maintain her past identity.
3) Unfortunately we aren't going back to visit our family. However, if we were I think that we would continue to work with Tahgreed on her alphabet and writing. I have noticed that she has come a long way from the first visit, and that she is really trying to adopt the English language. I think that for Mustafa we will just work on vocabulary and broaden his range so that he is able to understand what is going on in school. We didn't work with Saad at all but by the end of our last visit, we were able to somewhat have a conversation and at least get our point across. I found it interesting how easy it was for the kids to say sayings, yet it was difficult for them to just remember simple words. I think that it would be good to teach them more fun sayings and that might help with communicating with other people, especially since they're able to remember it better. Watching children's programs also has helped them advance in the English language so I think it would be a good idea to continue watching them if they have free time.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Blog #3: March 17, 2014
1)
We finally were able to make it back to their
house after 3 attempts prior to this. The last time we had tried to visit our
family we had found out that they moved to another house. The two times before
this they weren’t home or weren’t able to do it due to prior arrangements we
weren’t informed about before we had shown up. Thankfully, this time we were
able to finally get back into things and meet with them for the second time.
When Taylor and I showed up the mom Tahgreed was asleep and so was the little boy
Mustafa. The father was at work, so the only one we worked with for about the
first hour was the little girl Baneen. We had to re-introduce so that she had
our names down and then we did a bit of an icebreaker and just colored in
coloring books for about a half hour. While we colored we had Baneen name each
color she was using so that she had her colors down. Mustafa and Tahgreed
finally got up and joined us so we started to teach them the alphabet and how
to write it. Baneen pretty much had it down except for a few letters along with
Mustafa. However, the mom was the one that struggled with it the most. I found
it very interesting how determined she was to learn the alphabet and how to
write it properly also. After that we ended with them learning our coin system,
like how much each coin was worth and what it was called. Both Taylor and I
felt that it was a very productive 2 hours and we left feeling as though each
of them had learned something new.
2)
Connecting this past encounter with what we have
been learning in class, I noticed how the mother Tahgreed used concepts from
the basics of intercultural competence. I was able to see that she had
tolerance for ambiguity. Putting her in this new situation and showing her all
these new words and concepts did cause some frustration, however she kept an
open mind for learning how to write our language. For myself, I also realized
that I used the basics of intercultural competence. The last concept,
interaction posture, came into play during this meeting because I had to be
understanding and not judgmental whatsoever towards the fact that most of them
didn’t even know how to write the ABC’s. Looking at this basic skill, it amazed
me just how much of a change it must have been for them to move from their
culture and come over here to this brand new environment. The other concept
that I’ve noticed with our family is that they are along the lines of
acculturation in the adaptation process. They still have their own culture, yet
they are accepting and want to learn more about the American culture. I think
this is a great skill to have because it allows them to have a better
adaptation process.
3)
Since Taylor and I both felt that the PowerPoint
of the alphabet was very successful, we will most likely do that again, but
instead of teaching them animals, we will do another category such as fruits
and vegetables, or activities. We will continue to work on our coin system with
them because it is important for them to know how our money system works here. Tahgreed
needs to continue to learn the alphabet so that will be our main focus with
her. Baneen and Mustafa need to learn new words and how to write them and say them
and that will be what we work on with them for our next few encounters. After
having such a successful meeting this past time, I am really looking forward to
working with them again and see just how much they will learn and grow from
each encounter here on out.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
First Encounter
1) My first encounter with our refugee family was to me very stressful. Taylor and I got lost, which didn't start the new endeavor off right. Once we finally found the house, you could tell that there was a bit of tension and a huge language barrier. Thankful that Kelly was there, she helped to make the introductions less awkward by making the kids laugh and learn our names in a funny way. When we finally started to get into things, I was with the little boy, Mustafa. We had children's books and he was learning all the names of the animals on the page. The mother Tagrid was with Hailey. They were working on money and seeing what coin meant what. I found it very interesting that she didn't even know what our money looked like or how much it was worth. I think going into the situation I expected them to at least know the basics of English, and then being in that situation I found that I was completely off. Taylor worked with the little girl Benin by doing something similar as Mustafa and me. She grabbed flash cards and went through basic concepts such as day and night or light and dark, etc. The father Sad was there for only five minutes and then the translator came and picked him up. It was nice to have the translator there so that we could ask any questions we needed and there would be no language barrier, for a short moment.
2) The whole first encounter has to do with perception. They way that each and every one of us perceived the situation from both sides would be very different. For myself, knowing that I was going to be with a family from the Middle East concerned me a bit. I know it is wrong to place judgments on people before meeting them but I did have a misconception of Middle Eastern people. I think it helped after watching the video Muslims in America for me to understand that not all Middle Eastern people all the same. After we were there for about an hour and after the translator had cleared things up I felt much better about the situation. My perception of this family changed drastically because I knew that they were just like every other family.
3) After my first encounter with the family I have learned that on the next encounter we need to teach them the basics. Just like we taught the mom our coin system and what each number meant, we will bring them flashcards of the ABC's and 123's so that they learn the basics of the English language. Also seeing how vibrant the children are we can bring lots of crafts to do to get to know them better. I think it will be important to teach Tagrid, the mother, the fundamentals like her name and her birthday so that she can fill out forms. She should also probably know how to write her children's names and birthdays. I think we now have a better idea of what we will be doing with our families especially after the first encounter because we know where they're at and how we can overcome the language barrier.
2) The whole first encounter has to do with perception. They way that each and every one of us perceived the situation from both sides would be very different. For myself, knowing that I was going to be with a family from the Middle East concerned me a bit. I know it is wrong to place judgments on people before meeting them but I did have a misconception of Middle Eastern people. I think it helped after watching the video Muslims in America for me to understand that not all Middle Eastern people all the same. After we were there for about an hour and after the translator had cleared things up I felt much better about the situation. My perception of this family changed drastically because I knew that they were just like every other family.
3) After my first encounter with the family I have learned that on the next encounter we need to teach them the basics. Just like we taught the mom our coin system and what each number meant, we will bring them flashcards of the ABC's and 123's so that they learn the basics of the English language. Also seeing how vibrant the children are we can bring lots of crafts to do to get to know them better. I think it will be important to teach Tagrid, the mother, the fundamentals like her name and her birthday so that she can fill out forms. She should also probably know how to write her children's names and birthdays. I think we now have a better idea of what we will be doing with our families especially after the first encounter because we know where they're at and how we can overcome the language barrier.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Pre-Service
1. My hopes for this service-learning project is to gain a better understanding of different cultures and to make an impact on a family less fortunate than myself. I think this is a great opportunity to give of myself to others and be able to use the qualities that I have in order to help others. God calls each and every one of us to do whatever we can to help those around us and I think this is a great opportunity to do just that. I also hope to get close to the family and have a certain connection with the children because I love kids!
2. I think that our learning site will be in a small run-down area of Rock Island. The families last name sounds Middle Eastern so I think that there might be a language barrier which will be an interesting challenge to face. I also am assuming that the family won't have much due to their situation so the house will be quite small for a soon to be family of five. I don't think the children will have very many toys so that will be a great opportunity for us to show them some fun games that don't require toys.
3. World Relief serves many populations each having things in common such as the need for help. I think that each population must show an economic struggle and lots of unemployment. When World Relief comes in to help refugees they must see large amounts of people being displaced from the comforts of their home. My assumption that our family comes from the Middle East could be due to all the strife that goes on there now. Many families will lose their homes in the time of war because so many things are destroyed and the government doesn't help them to get back on their feet. It could also be due to the fact that the countries money is going to the war and the militia that they aren't focused on helping their citizens.
4. I think that what World Relief does is amazing. I think there needs to be more organizations like World Relief to help those less fortunate. Being forced to leave your home and maybe even your family is such a harsh situation to be put in. No one should have to go through that yet people all around are going through it. More people need to be aware of it so more people can help out. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, I have been on a mission trip and I have seen the horrible situations and living conditions people are in. Many people don't even know that that goes on around them. I think it is our duty to help so I am very interested in what World Relief does. I would love to continue helping refugees as I continue my schooling because not only are you impacting the lives of those around you but you will learn so much! I love serving people and think that the projects that World Relief takes under their roof is amazing and something that everyone should support if they are able to. In the future I would love to be able to travel around the world bringing refugees over to the United States. I aspire to make that my contribution to World Relief on top of volunteering with the family I've been assigned this semester.
2. I think that our learning site will be in a small run-down area of Rock Island. The families last name sounds Middle Eastern so I think that there might be a language barrier which will be an interesting challenge to face. I also am assuming that the family won't have much due to their situation so the house will be quite small for a soon to be family of five. I don't think the children will have very many toys so that will be a great opportunity for us to show them some fun games that don't require toys.
3. World Relief serves many populations each having things in common such as the need for help. I think that each population must show an economic struggle and lots of unemployment. When World Relief comes in to help refugees they must see large amounts of people being displaced from the comforts of their home. My assumption that our family comes from the Middle East could be due to all the strife that goes on there now. Many families will lose their homes in the time of war because so many things are destroyed and the government doesn't help them to get back on their feet. It could also be due to the fact that the countries money is going to the war and the militia that they aren't focused on helping their citizens.
4. I think that what World Relief does is amazing. I think there needs to be more organizations like World Relief to help those less fortunate. Being forced to leave your home and maybe even your family is such a harsh situation to be put in. No one should have to go through that yet people all around are going through it. More people need to be aware of it so more people can help out. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, I have been on a mission trip and I have seen the horrible situations and living conditions people are in. Many people don't even know that that goes on around them. I think it is our duty to help so I am very interested in what World Relief does. I would love to continue helping refugees as I continue my schooling because not only are you impacting the lives of those around you but you will learn so much! I love serving people and think that the projects that World Relief takes under their roof is amazing and something that everyone should support if they are able to. In the future I would love to be able to travel around the world bringing refugees over to the United States. I aspire to make that my contribution to World Relief on top of volunteering with the family I've been assigned this semester.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Community Service
Community service helps us to grow as people and to connect with not only others, but ourselves as well. We are able to learn more about ourselves by surrounding ourselves with different situations, or something out of our ordinary lives. We are able to see what different cultures are like and have a better grasp of how to communicate with others that have not had the same background as us.
The biggest learning experience that I've ever had was when I went on a mission trip to Mexico. I was able to completely dive into the culture and experience things for myself, rather than just reading about it. I learned just how many things I take for granted because its simply given to me in my daily life; things like education, family, more specifically parents, and even the simplest thing such as green grass. All these things I was able to learn about myself, but the mission trip wasn't about me at all. I learned how to communicate with people of all ages that didn't speak the same language as me. I learned more about the mexican culture and what some of their traditions were. I was able to impact the lives of children to show them that they are truly loved; I was taught just how important it was for children to know that they are cared for. Service is a huge learning opportunity for everyone because you're able to learn about yourself and those that were raised differently than you.
The biggest learning experience that I've ever had was when I went on a mission trip to Mexico. I was able to completely dive into the culture and experience things for myself, rather than just reading about it. I learned just how many things I take for granted because its simply given to me in my daily life; things like education, family, more specifically parents, and even the simplest thing such as green grass. All these things I was able to learn about myself, but the mission trip wasn't about me at all. I learned how to communicate with people of all ages that didn't speak the same language as me. I learned more about the mexican culture and what some of their traditions were. I was able to impact the lives of children to show them that they are truly loved; I was taught just how important it was for children to know that they are cared for. Service is a huge learning opportunity for everyone because you're able to learn about yourself and those that were raised differently than you.
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