Individualism vs Collectivism 5.30

What is Individualism? In short, it is the habit of being independent and self-reliant it is the freedom of action! Most people in the United States and Europe, are very independent and thrive on being individualistic. We like being our own person and doing the things we like. We don't like getting in trouble for someone else's wrong doings. Those things are along the lines of Collectivism.

So what exactly is Collectivism? It is the practice of principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it. Basically, Collectivists believe in order to form the common good, the people should be united as a whole, living their lives for the community, nation, or society. An example I can think of is from a book I recently read, The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story By Hyeonseo Lee, in North Korea if one individual was seen doing something that was against the beliefs of their Country the whole family was then marked down as being dangerous and untrustworthy it was a blemish on the family name from then on, they weren't given privileges of those of higher ranking, like good jobs and such.

A few countries that are considered collectivistic include Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, and India. Being aware that certain countries are more collectivistic than individualistic is important when you are out and about as a tourist or a teacher in that country. The cultural differences can influence many aspects of how the society functions. How people shop, dress, learn and conduct business all can be influenced by whether they are from a collectivist or individualist culture.

Knowing the differences between the two as a teacher can impact how comfortable someone feels about opening up. It can also help us to prevent misunderstandings that can come about from different cultures having different assumptions. However, thinking about individualism and collectivism can help us to better understand ourselves and our interactions with others. The way we think about ourselves and the world around us is only one of many.

Differences in Emotional Expression 5.28

When you think of a culture who expressions public emotion who or what do you think of?

I think of a New Yorker yelling at a cab driver,

A Greek wedding,

A United States Southerner expressing American Pride,

A Jewish Bar Mitzvah,

these are just a few of those that are expressing high emotions in public.

We all feel the same emotions but different cultures express them easier in public vs in private.

It is very easy to misinterpret people's emotions from one culture to another.

In private everyone is more likely to express the high emotions everyone has such as, being afraid, angry, annoyed, delighted, distressed, excited, frustrated, disgust, and other emotions similar to those.

With that in mind several cultures won't show emotion in public for example,

Asian Cultures typically don't.

A study was done where American and Japanese participants were asked to rate faces on how intensely they were expressing certain emotions and how intensely the posers were actually feeling said emotion. The American participants, gave higher ratings to the external appearance of emotions. The Japanese participants, assigned higher ratings to internal expression of emotion. In conclusion, depending on cultural contexts, internal turmoil might not necessarily be legible on the face, while an overly excited smile might be hiding only lukewarm enthusiasm. 

I guess this is where "Fake it until you make it" comes from.

Being an ESL/ELL Teacher can be a little difficult if you are trying to get a reaction from your students on something in particular if you have several students from a culture that don't show emotions in public.

Keep this in mind.

In Asian cultures, the eyes are typically used to express emotion, while in America, Europe, the Western Cultures the mouth reflects the emotion expressed.

You will learn the telltale signs of emotions in your students over time.

Cultural Miscommunication 5.24

Miscommunication...

It is a BIG deal. 

It can cause wars, murders and many terrible things, but let's not talk about those.

Mainly,

It can cause difficult situations or simple misunderstandings. 

Here is a compilation of HSBC Ads about Culture that are amusing but simple misunderstandings.

Teaching English to those of different cultures can be challenging.

The first and foremost problem faced in teaching is the 'Language' itself. Both teachers and learners face limitations in different ways in dealing with language. The content of the class can also be a challenge. Last but not least, culture shock can be a severe obstacle in gaining the desired goal. Some other challenges that are related to language are:

Native English speaking teachers-

Speed, accent, tone, pronunciation, and pitch can be a challenge for the learners in not being able to understand, or not following what the teacher is saying. 

Stereotyping, on the teachers and the learners part. 

Non-native speaking teachers-

Sometimes students think that non native English speaking teachers do not know much.

The Learners-

They sometimes face language shock, they experience doubt and possible confusion when using English. They are under pressure of accuracy and such.

Culture Shock-

A person can experience considerable amount of stress and anxiety when they are living in a different culture with different values from their own. It's all new and the new culture may not view some things or values the same as they are used too.

We should not push students to learn, instead try to pull them in and support them within their learning. Students will rise to our expectations if we provide them with the path. That path, consists of all the things we say and do in order to help our students learn.

Cultural Differences Concerning Time 5.22.2019

There are so many cultural differences around the world but the way different cultures view time can be big one. Especially if you are trying to understand or interact with that culture.

Some cultures namely the USA, Canada and Europe are what is called Monochronic, which means people who do things one at a time, and in a planned order, a schedule as you would say. 

Whereas places like Latin America are known as Polychronic, which means often attempting many tasks simultaneously. For example a manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has the door open, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at once. Their primary concern especially those closely related to them are people and the relationships they build during their life. 

People who are used to a schedule the monochronic business people don't understand why the person they are meeting with, who is polychronic, is always interrupted by phone calls and people stopping by unannounced. We usually, the monochronic people, find it insulting that we don't have their undivided attention. Similarly the polychronic employee of a monochronic business will find all the closed doors cold and uninviting. 

No one is trying to be rude or uninviting it is just the cultural norm.

Being able to recognise whether you are dealing with a polychronic or monochronic society and how time and relationships are valued is crucial to being able to communicate effectively across cultures.

What are your thoughts on Monochronic and Polychronic? Which one are you?

Cultural Paradigms 5.21.2019

Did you know there are 196 Countries in the world?! And each one of them has their own habits and peculiarities. The thing is though, those habits are only peculiar because it isn't something you are used to seeing or doing.

My husband eats grilled cheese with ketchup! I think it is weird and kind of a gross idea, but that is because I grew up having it with tomato soup (which is TOTALLY different) or chicken noodle soup. We are all used to different things.

Some of the habits or traditions others have around the world may seem weird or some just interesting. Who knows maybe you'll like the idea and maybe use it in your life, you never know.

In Venezuela, it is rude to show up early to something! I am definitely one of those people who likes to be early to everything. I was once told for a job of mine, "If you are early you are on time, if you're on time you are late".

In Denmark, citizens have to pick from a government approved list for baby names! Honestly this isn't such a bad idea, this law is to help children to not get ridiculed about their name. If the parents want a name that isn't on the list they have to get approval. 

In Greece, when a child loses a tooth instead of putting it under their pillow like we are used too, they throw it on their roof for good luck.

Here is a sad one which thankfully has stopped but used to be common. In China, young girls would go through the painful process of foot binding. For almost a thousand years, the Chinese thought that small feet were desirable among girls. This caused men and women to intentionally restrict the girls' feet from growing bigger. In the late 1940's, this tradition stopped because of the debilitating effects the young Chinese girls suffered from. Sounds painful.

In Thailand, there is a Monkey Buffet Festival and it is exactly how it sounds. Monkeys feast on over 3,000 kgs (over 6,600 lbs!) of fruits and vegetables out on display for the monkeys to gorge on in Lopburi, Bangkok.

Cultural Paradigms are fascinating! Just be careful and aware of other cultures when you are traveling, so you don't make the mistake of insulting or maybe accidentally breaking a law.

What Started It All!

I LOVE to TRAVEL! I figure you can guess that based on my Blog name but that is my passion. My second passion is English. Just about anything to do with English. Reading, Writing and Teaching English. I wasn't always passionate about Traveling. I did always have a love for English especially teaching and writing. 

In High School, my dream was to travel Europe after Graduating. I had found a website that I could go with a group but my plane tickets weren't included in their price. It seemed unattainable, and for many years it was for me. It wasn't until 2017, five years after I had graduated, mere months after a terrible divorce, I was determined to travel Europe by myself. AND I DID!

I loved it! I was so nervous sitting on the plane by myself surrounded by strangers at the Chicago Airport. I had flown before many times. My first trip by myself was when I was 15 going to visit family I hadn't seen in several years in Seattle, Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. I fell in love with Seattle but sadly haven't made it back there since that trip in 2009. I used to live in Germany when I was 3 years old. I only have a few vague memories so I hardly count it as traveling. So I wasn't afraid of flying. I was afraid of flying to another country by myself. 

Traveling has changed me for the better! I found myself while I was abroad. I know some people think why can't you find yourself where you are living why did it have to be in Europe. My reason is I had to be outside my comfort zone and in a place I had always wanted to be. I finally had to do something for myself that made me happy. Traveling makes me happy! I love having new experiences!

Seen the ball drop in Times Square in New York City on New Year’s Eve
I have Skydived in Moab, UT
Skied (for the first time) in Toronto, Canada
Took a cooking class in Paris, France (with my bestfriend I might add)
Ate Escargot at 1am in Paris, France (totally would eat again!)
I did a river boat cruise in Frankfurt, Germany and in London, England

I love having experiences and I hope to encourage others to take the leap and go outside their comfort zone.
Safe Travels! C'est la vie!

Verde Hot Springs Adventure

Hidden Gem near Camp Verde, Arizona

In the mountains near Camp Verde and Strawberry, Arizona is an abandoned Hot Springs. When you think of Arizona you think hot desert sand and prickly cactus, but tucked away in the forest is a hidden gem.

I heard about this place while I was with a few friends out to dinner. I wanted to go as soon as the words were uttered, "Abandoned Hot Springs". Sounds nice to me! It took a little pleading on my part to convince my husband but he was on board in the end for a little camping trip.

I did a little research but in the end the websites I found didn't piece the whole picture together. So let me break it down for you so you don't have trouble finding it like my husband and I did.

This is to help anyone not make the same mistake as us. We left a little late on Friday Evening since we were finishing our packing and Mikel got off work later than I did; we hit the road at about 7pm. We knew we had about a 3 hour drive ahead of us so we got going as soon as we could. 

It all went wrong when we took the exit Orme Rd/Dugas Rd off of I-17 N (we didn't know better though!). We drove along and had a bumpy ride. Based on some of the sites I had previously found I expected a little bit of a bumpy ride. But this was a rougher ride than we would have liked. We did almost get stuck on some of the rocks that were on the road. This road seemed to be one used to go off roading in Jeeps and such. (I was doing this in a Toyota Highlander!) It was late, we were getting nervous and we didn't know exactly where we were going, we just trusted Google Maps to lead the way. After being on this bumpy dirt road for an hour and a half we finally pulled over and decided to sleep in the car and decide what to do in the morning. When we got up and packed the car again we decided to try again but a different route. We finally found the right road we should have been on through a bit more research. The website we found still had some errors about the roads and such so I wont post it here. 

The Right Directions...

No matter where you are coming from you need to go to Fossil Creek Road just outside of Camp Verde. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THERE! You could be stopped by a Forest Ranger asking for a permit. Some of the area you will be driving through you do need a permit to stay but for Verde Hot Springs you do not. You'll take Fossil Creek Rd for about 12 miles. Please take your time on this road!!!!! It is a windy dirt road I highly suggest using a high clearance vehicle. Eventually you'll come to a stop sign, there is usually another Ranger here to check for a Permit. Just inform them you are heading to Verde Hot Springs they will tell you to turn right. This road is Forest Service Road 502 you'll be on this road about 6 miles. The last 1/4 of a mile is where you'll want the High Clearance Vehicle. These directions will take you to Childs Dispersed Campground. The Verde Hot Springs is only a short hike from here. 

From the Campground to the Hot Springs. About 1.5-2 Mile Hike

Coming straight from the road is a sign of just basic things about the area, you'll want to go right (it's about North East) you'll follow the camp ground dirt road to a fence. This is a trail along the river. (Going Upstream) You'll take that trail a bit you will see a electricity area fenced off. There is a trail by it so head up to that. You'll follow this road for about a mile and a half until you see some rocks that are spray painted green. There are a few of them one of the bigger ones is a green arrow. (If you miss the rocks you'll come across a sign about launching a boat and such, it means you went too far, but don't panic you are close just go back a bit.) You'll then go down to the river bed following a trail that is there. You will need to cross the river to continue following the trail. 

When you cross it looks like you can go either left or right but go left because the other way is a dead end. Just follow that trail and it will lead you right to the Hot Springs. 

You'll start to see some of the foundations that used to be part of the building which burned down a long time ago. Also if you are so inclined in certain areas you are aloud to paint on the walls and such (they have a post stating you can paint)

I loved our weekend getaway to this wonderful place. We had a lot of fun. Met some people and played a game of hammer and nails, which Mikel accidently put a small hole in our tent because of. xD Please use some sunscreen we were a little excited and forgot to put it on and now we are dealing with some burned shoulders.

Safe Travels! C'est la vie!

Notes:
Childs Dispersed Campground National Forest Page

"Is the Great American Teacher Dead?" 05.01.2019

"O Captain, my Captain." -Walt Whitman

When I was reading "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?" What kept pressing upon my mind was the movie "Dead Poets Society". The above phrase is said numerous time throughout the movie. If you don't know what the movie is about or haven't seen it. It is about an English Teacher named John Keating, who inspires his students to look and think about poetry with a different perspective, along with telling the students that their future is for them to seize, Carpe Diem meaning seize the day.

If I might be so bold to quote the movie directly, "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

I might be a little biased since I love poetry and English in general but that scene is inspiring to me. We are all here for a reason and I think our Teachers are one of the most important parts of our life. 

I don't think the Great American Teacher is dead, I just think they are going extinct. The world isn't helping Teachers to help the future generations. Besides the students parents we are the people who are teaching them and molding their minds to go out into the world and be our politicians, doctors, lawers, mothers, fathers, ect.. but what impression are we leaving them with? Will they thirst for knowledge and come to an understanding on why it is important?

Yes, this is a lot of pressure as a Teacher to think about. We are partially responsible for the students we have and send on in life. But it is rewarding as well! This is the reason I want to become a Teacher. I want to help those around me gain knowledge and open my students to a different way of thinking and understanding. 

We all have the opportunity to become the Great Teacher not just the Great American Teacher. We just have to have the passion to change the world through our teaching to our students.