Two semesters down

I am glad that I am done with my final exams for spring semester, and with that my first year of graduation. Now, I will have a summer break for a month, and my summer classes will start from June. However, my summer practicum will continue through out May.

I have been doing my practicum at a learning academy with children with behavioral and developmental challenges for 6 months now. At my practicum site, I have had a good opportunity to experience the US education and work culture. I have picked up some commonly used US terms like “pop” for carbonated drinks/soft drinks and “garbage can” for dustbin. I have also learned to write dates as mm/dd/yy instead dd/mm/yy. I try to use culturally relevant terms to communicate with the children and colleagues effectively. One time while giving an instruction to the children, I said, “Please stand in a queue.” All the little kids stood there staring at me. Soon one of my colleague prompted them, “Boys and girls, line-up please.” My colleagues and I had a good laugh at this.

Its fun that how simple things are communicated in different ways across different parts of the world. Indians may face initial faux-pas in the US because we are trained in the UK English; nevertheless, people here are quite open to diversity and variations. And, it has been easier for me to learn these cultural nuances with the help of my supervisors and colleagues at work. We work hard for the whole week and socialize on the weekend, which provides me with some more opportunities to clarify and adjust to cultural differences in the U.S.

Although these are minute differences between the cultures, I find it interesting to mention it on my blog. I am sure many of my international friends would have had similar experiences. However, I feel it is priceless to travel abroad for further studies as it broadens ones horizons, adds to the cultural experiences, enhances intercultural communication skills, and shapes the ability to adapt and learn.