02 August 2015
Erfurt
Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- Even though I have only been spending my weekends in Erfurt I feel like I can call it home. From the second night here I felt comfortable. It could be because I had great roommates or the fact that I loved the city. Everyone here was extremely friendly and welcoming. I lucked out in the roommate department as well too. The majorities of the people on this trip don’t talk much with their roommates or do anything with them. I had the opposite experience. They both wanted to hang out and get to know me, which was awesome. They also really wanted to get to know my friends too. Getting along so well with them instantly made me feel more comfortable.
The food is great especially the bratwurst. Within the first week here we found a “brat guy” that had the best Thüringen bratwurst in Erfurt. I don’t think a week has gone by that I haven’t gotten a brat from him. I also really like the sushi here, which shocked me. We found a little mom and pop sushi restaurant called Gingko. It was amazing and super fresh.
Everything in Erfurt is quaint which made it also much more comfortable. I felt safe walking the streets at any hour, which was a nice change from Morgantown. After every time we would travel I was genuinely excited to go back to Erfurt and I will really miss it when we have to leave. I don’t think that I can find one bad thing to say about Erfurt.
31 July 2015
Intercultural Adaptation Theory
Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- The intercultural adaptation theory explains how we adapt to other cultures. There are 4 different stages for the Intercultural adaption theory, the first being the (1) honeymoon stage, next is (2) culture shock, then (3) cultural adjustment, finally followed by (4) adaptation. After being in Germany for more then 2 months I can honestly say that I consider myself a 3 on this scale. I think that I have adapted well to all the subtle changes between Germany and the U.S without an issue. Some may argue though that because I have had no conflict with the differences that I am still in the (1) honeymoon stage. I disagree with that because I slightly disagree with the theory. It implies that you need conflict to learn how to adapt but I don't see that to be the case. I actually see more similarities between Germany and the U.S then differences. I also think that going into another country for example Germany with an open mind makes you less susceptible to culture shock. I knew that there would be little differences between the cultures from the start for example the language and other minor social norms being different like jay walking or having small talk. Those were easy things to accept. Let's take the small talk as an example. In Germany they are more blunt and to the point, which is exactly the kind of person I am. They don't have meaningless small talk before a conversation like we do in the U.S. I understand that in the U.S we do it to be polite and possibly break the ice but in my eyes there really is no point if your saying something you don’t really mean. Adjusting to Germany's way was much easier. I also think that the way I was raised was very similar to German culture. I was never allowed to be late for anything and I was also brought up to be rather independent. Another example of a subtle difference that I adjusted to rather quickly was the not jay walking. People in Germany follow the rules of the road and wait their turn to walk. It makes perfect sense because it is the law in both Germany and the United States so it wasn’t hard to adjust to.
The reason that this theory is so tricky is that to truly be a 3 I would have had to experience some sort of conflict, which I have not. I believe that you can immerse yourself in a culture without having conflict, which is exactly what I am doing. I have ventured away from hanging out with Americans and made some German friends. I have also left the comfort of Erfurt and traveled to Frankfort and Cologne amongst other places. The only sort of conflict that arises on this trip would be the language barrier but that was something I expected.
30 July 2015
London
HMS Bellfast in London. |
London -- Going into London I had a lot of expectations. It was somewhere I have always wanted to visit and I thought that it would be magical seeing things like Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, and even Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. I wasn’t disappointed but it wasn’t what I expected. This experience could be an example of the expectation violation theory. This theory shows how and individual can be violated by their expectations, which is exactly what happened. Now I know what to expect from London.
My favorite part of London would be the non- touristy parts we stumbled upon by accident. We found the biggest market in London, which is called the Borough Market. It was huge filled with all different kinds of food and drinks. It reminded me a lot of Pikes Place Market in Seattle with the street vendors and all the variety. Walking through there felt like home without a doubt. After going away from the touristy section of London is where we also found beauty and originality. We saw the quaint little houses, stores and pubs. We found a store that had retro/mod fashion with a packed pub right across the street. We found a store that had been in business from the 1800’s selling just umbrellas. I have to say to that these were the nicest umbrellas I have ever seen which is perfect for such a raining city. Lastly we saw the British museum, which housed numerous artifacts from all over the world. I was happy that the museum was free to view but again disappointed from how I felt about it. The museum showcased how far the British Empire used to stretch. It felt more showy then historically relevant.
I am glad I saw London because it was a dream but I am in no rush to go back!
My favorite part of London would be the non- touristy parts we stumbled upon by accident. We found the biggest market in London, which is called the Borough Market. It was huge filled with all different kinds of food and drinks. It reminded me a lot of Pikes Place Market in Seattle with the street vendors and all the variety. Walking through there felt like home without a doubt. After going away from the touristy section of London is where we also found beauty and originality. We saw the quaint little houses, stores and pubs. We found a store that had retro/mod fashion with a packed pub right across the street. We found a store that had been in business from the 1800’s selling just umbrellas. I have to say to that these were the nicest umbrellas I have ever seen which is perfect for such a raining city. Lastly we saw the British museum, which housed numerous artifacts from all over the world. I was happy that the museum was free to view but again disappointed from how I felt about it. The museum showcased how far the British Empire used to stretch. It felt more showy then historically relevant.
I am glad I saw London because it was a dream but I am in no rush to go back!
30 July 2015
Berlin Reflection
When comparing East and West Berlin I saw no differences. I would think the reasoning behind this is because the wall came down. Also I don’t think that I have spent enough time in Berlin to really feel or see any differences. However if you were to ask someone who lived through that time when the wall was up there is many difference that they would tell you. For example if you lived in the East you would have had a very controlled life. Everyone would have had the same flat and the same car while being spied on by your neighbors and your friends. If you lived in the West it would have been more how we saw Berlin today. Meaning they were able to make there own decisions. Berlin has come a long way since then. Its interesting to see how dramatic of a change there really was, from a controlled government to a city run by hippies. That’s what makes Berlin so unique. They don’t forget there past they really own up to it all but they were able to move past it and grow.
28 July 2015
Dublin
Dublin --
Dublin is also filled with rich history. We visited the Dublin castle, which was home to the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and the English Provost. Now it host different state functions. We also saw Saint Patrick’s cathedral, which is now partially a war memorial inside and includes any person of any denomination effect by war. That right there shows the kind of people the Irish are.
The other thing that shows the kind of people they are would be there dedication to whisky. We visited the Irish Whiskey Museum where I received a documentation of impeccable whiskey tasting skills. I also learned a to distill whiskey and the history of whiskey in Ireland followed up by its importance. Who would have thought that Jameson isn’t really a big deal anymore? At one point though him and 3 others were quite important.
Lastly is the nightlife in Dublin. Every bar was packed to the max (on a Tuesday night) with live music filling the room. The atmosphere was one that reminded me a bit of the U.S on a Friday night but better. It is true the Irish like to drink starting from their Bailys in the morning to their Guinness at night.
“What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for”~ Gaelic ProverbDublin is officially my favorite city not only because of there wonderful whiskey but because it is just amazing. I have no better word to describe it. Dublin is warm and welcoming from the moment you land in the airport. Everything is green and I don’t just mean the landscaping. There are green lights, walls, and shamrocks everywhere. Then there are the people, who are as nice and helpful as anyone could be. I had someone bump into me as he was running to catch his plane and he apologized to me a million times over even though I was the one in the way. Another example of someone being overly nice would be the guy who checked us into our hostel. Not only was he thrilled that we were American, which was a big change, he was also very accommodating. We had originally booked 2 beds in the same 8-person room, but when we arrived he had put us in separate rooms instead. After brining this to his attention is immediately changed it and kept apologizing. Then instead of putting us in the room we reserved he bumped us up to a 6-person room with no one staying in it for the night without charging us extra. It was a refreshing change to be helped and it was genuine more so then what you would have experienced in the U.S.
Dublin is also filled with rich history. We visited the Dublin castle, which was home to the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and the English Provost. Now it host different state functions. We also saw Saint Patrick’s cathedral, which is now partially a war memorial inside and includes any person of any denomination effect by war. That right there shows the kind of people the Irish are.
The other thing that shows the kind of people they are would be there dedication to whisky. We visited the Irish Whiskey Museum where I received a documentation of impeccable whiskey tasting skills. I also learned a to distill whiskey and the history of whiskey in Ireland followed up by its importance. Who would have thought that Jameson isn’t really a big deal anymore? At one point though him and 3 others were quite important.
Lastly is the nightlife in Dublin. Every bar was packed to the max (on a Tuesday night) with live music filling the room. The atmosphere was one that reminded me a bit of the U.S on a Friday night but better. It is true the Irish like to drink starting from their Bailys in the morning to their Guinness at night.
20 July 2015
Amsterdam
Amsterdam -- Amsterdam was a rather unique place to visit. It was not at all how I thought it would be from stories that I have heard and I actually found to like it more then I thought. As soon as we got off the train I heard English everywhere, which was an instant comfort. As we continued to walk through the city I felt extremely relaxed. No one was in a rush and everyone seemed really happy. This of course could have something to do with the little coffee shops that were all over Amsterdam. A coffee shop in Amsterdam does not only serve coffee but they also have marijuana as well. I have course have heard of these before hand and was skeptical to go in one but I had to see what they were all about. I found them to be not as strange as I thought and a completely normal thing. I felt very normal and comfortable in every shop that I went into. No one made a big deal out of it even the tourist, which might I add took up most of Amsterdam. Along with seeing the coffee shops another thing that had to be done was to see the Red light distract. I was shocked that while walking through it felt so normal. The stories I have heard made it seem like a much bigger deal then it was. It was a bit strange of course because prostitution is illegal in most of the U.S so it’s not something we see. Besides those two things Amsterdam felt very similar to the U.S.
Lastly my favorite part of Amsterdam would be when we left the Red Light District. We stumbled on beautiful city buildings and went to amazing museums. Starting with Rijksmuseum, tulip museum, and the cheese museum. The Rijksmuseum was one of my favorites. We saw paintings from Van Gogh and Rembrandt along with other Dutch royal art. The tulip and cheese museum was more entertaining then anything but still informative. Amsterdam is a place I would definitely go back to just because of the comfortably I felt there and the beauty I was surrounded by.
Lastly my favorite part of Amsterdam would be when we left the Red Light District. We stumbled on beautiful city buildings and went to amazing museums. Starting with Rijksmuseum, tulip museum, and the cheese museum. The Rijksmuseum was one of my favorites. We saw paintings from Van Gogh and Rembrandt along with other Dutch royal art. The tulip and cheese museum was more entertaining then anything but still informative. Amsterdam is a place I would definitely go back to just because of the comfortably I felt there and the beauty I was surrounded by.
12 July 2015
First-Half Reflections
Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- My interaction with the German SPICE students was quite
brief as I only saw them in class but they were still very kind. I don’t think from what I have experienced
that the German SPICE students are any different then U.S students. In the U.S
we stereotype Germans to always be on time, not talkative, and super focused on
their work. I found that not to be the case at all. They really are just like us. The only real struggle we had was the
language barrier. Sometimes in class we would mention certain catch phrases or
words that they didn’t understand and we continually would talk about different
news stories going on in the U.S that they had not heard of but they were great
sports about. I also really enjoyed
working on the group project with one of them.
She saw things differently then us it was nice to have a new
perspective. I am very happy we had them
in class because not only did I learn things from one of them during the
project but also in class. We learned more and more about German every weekend
and it put to rest or changed all the assumptions and stereotypes I had
previously made. Overall all I think that we are both very similar college
students. The rest of the residents of
Erfurt are very kind as well. Everywhere I have gone people have been super
accommodating. When you are in the U.S
people tend to stereotype Germans to be harsh and not very nice which I found
out is not the case at all. My roommates are a perfect example of this. When I
first met them all they wanted to do was talk. They were very interested in my
life and were always inviting me to do things. It was a very warm welcome from
what I was expecting. People are more
likely to help you if you are lost or confused in Erfurt then they would ever
be in the U.S. I also noticed that the nightlife here is a little different
then other college towns in the U.S. People aren’t as loud here. That goes for
the college students and the rest of the residents of Erfurt. Everything here
shuts down after 8pm and the streets are silent. Coming from Morgantown that was very strange
since usually all we all night is noise and people yelling. I noticed here too that the young people were
more accommodating then the older when it came to communicating. I think this
is because they do not speak English very well so it is harder for them to
communicate. I also noticed how clean
Erfurt is due to how much they recycle. That is not something we make enough of
a big deal out of in the U.S. The streets here never have trash on them and are
kept extremely clean. I have learned from this trip that all the
stereotypes were very wrong and that Germans might actually be nicer and more
open then people in the U.S.
11 July 2015
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels -- This trip was one of a kind and completely unplanned for. It all started on a train taking us from Frankfurt to Cologne. One of my friends picked up a pamphlet that said that the train we were on also went to Belgium and with that one sentence it was over. All we could think about was Belgium waffles along with Belgium beer. Arriving in Brussels we had a few expectations in mind and at first none of them were met. We got off the train at a rather bad part of Brussels, which made finding a decent hotel rather hard. One hotel we thought would be okay for a night had blood- stains on the floor and hair on the bed. At this point after trying numerous hotels in this part of town we were getting angry and tired. We took the train to the center of town where we still didn’t have any luck. Turns out there was a strike going on in the UK so everyone was coming to Belgium. We did not have the best luck. After about three hours of searching and asking people we finally found a hostel for the three of us. It was extremely clean and the people were very friendly. After a restful nights sleep we took a tour all around Brussels the next morning. We saw the Atomium and the beautiful streets of Brussels. Later that day we went to a Belgium bar called Delirium. I blame the bar for the reason we missed our train home. Stranded in Brussels for another night without a place to stay we took to the streets. We looked and looked but everything was still booked or too expensive. Eventually we ended up asking a guy on the street for directions that instead gave us a place to stay. His landlord normally ran an Airbnb but was in the process of renovating the rooms so technically we weren’t supposed to stay there. As we approached the apartment I was a bit skeptical (I mean he was someone we met on the street) however after meeting his landlord and seeing the room I was over the moon. They were the nicest people I have ever encountered. They opened up our home to us and took us out to eat that night because we were starving. We stayed up that night getting to know each other and became great friends after staying there. In the morning there was breakfast made for us and he gave us directions to the train station. I learned that unplanned trips could be the best trips. I also learned to take the good with the bad. It was annoying at first not finding somewhere to stay but both nights we had a great time with what we found.
3 July 2015
Face Negotiation Theory
Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany --The majority of the time we think that we do things for other people. We think that being nice and polite is something you do for someone else. Face negotiation theory proves that is not true and in actuality you are only doing those things for yourself. Humans are self-oriented meaning that you do things to help save your own face versus someone else. Here in Germany I have encountered a few experiences where I have tried to save my face and the person I was trying to communicate has tried to save theirs.
When I first arrived here I met all three of my roommates. Two of them spoke English rather well but the third did not. The most we have said to each other is hi and how are you, then go on to our business like neither one of us is in the room. We both are trying to save our faces. He does not want to speak English because he knows that he can’t just like I can’t speak German. Neither of us wants to look stupid so we are protecting ourselves.
Another example was when I was at a festival trying to order food at a stand. I tried my best to order in German to the women but she did not say anything. She just looked at me annoyed and grabbed the woman next to her who spoke English to take my order. This I realize now was a self-oriented response. She obviously could not speak English so instead of trying to communicate even in a different way, saving her face was more important.
People do not want to look bad which is why we hold back from saying things or act polite in certain situations. No one wants to come off as unintelligent or rude. Face negotiation theory proves this.
26 June 2015
Communication Accommodation Theory
The Atomium, in Brussels, is a monument to nuclear power for the use of energy, rather than as a weapon. |
Brussels -- This week’s theory, communication accommodation theory, is all about code switching. This means that when people interact they will change certain things like vocal patterns, speech, and gestures to accommodate someone else. I have noticed this going on throughout my trip so far in Germany. It all started when we first got here and were missing the basic essentials. For example we needed to get towels but did not know the German word for towel. When we went to the store, the worker did not speak English so we knew we were going to have to use gestures to figure it out. We used hand signals and body language to communicate the word towel so that the women working would understand. She gave us the thumbs up gesture meaning she did and showed us to the towels. We both changed our form of communication to accommodate one another. A different example of the theory in action would be ordering food at restaurants. Not all servers speak English so what I have tried to do is order as much as I can in German. What has happened the most is that the server will speak just as much English as I could speak German. We end up changing our pace and speaking much slower so that we both understand and can accommodate each other. There are also a lot of hand motions as well. There have of course been times where code switching has not worked. An example would be when I asked someone on the street for directions. They did not speak English and did not help even when I tried to point things out or use gesture to get my message across. Not everyone is accommodating. With that being said though I do think that this theory does work most of the time. The people of Germany have been very accommodating.
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