This semester, I agreed to take part on in the Conversation Partner program. The purpose of this program was to pair International Students to NNU undergraduates who would be willing to spend time with them, as well as act as a guide to American culture. This act would both benefit the International Students, who might be otherwise struck with culture shock, and it gives NNU undergraduates the opportunity to break away from the homogeny of the campus. When I was assigned to a conversation partner as part of my Cross-Cultural Experience, I was unsure of what to expect. Obviously, I had interacted with the foreign-exchange students before, and made friends with many. However, there was a different element involved in signing up to be a conversation partner; I was essentially declaring that I would be a companion to a person that I had never met. This was perhaps the most difficult commitment, as I was not known for being the most-friendly individual. I am not opposed to learning about other cultures, and have been known to be open to incorporating my new knowledge into my life. For instance, my previous experience at the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple resulted in a significant change in how I see the world. However, from my perspective, I saw my meeting with my conversation partner to be one of an annoyance to him or her; after all, I would hate to be dragged to a plethora of places for some other student’s benefit. But it turns out that this mindset was completely incorrect.
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As European, and Western cultures in particular, have more land to farm, and more wheat available, it should not be entirely surprising that bread and bread products play a larger role in the American diet than the European one. I had baked a delicious loaf of cinnamon-oatmeal bread, and Eamon and I ate it together while we talked about differences in bread use between the two cultures. Apparently in China, bread is generally only used in buns, and this bread is smaller and sweeter than what would normally be found in America. This was something that I had no idea about. Our most in-depth event occurred when I took him to the Art Show called “Beautiful Words”. It was a gallery that was put on by someone off campus that celebrated the ‘beautiful words’ of scripture. We went through the main gallery and I explained the significance of each piece (while dining on American snacks no less). However, he was most interested in the permanent collection, where there was an art piece dedicated to the Japanese-Americans Internment during World War
As European, and Western cultures in particular, have more land to farm, and more wheat available, it should not be entirely surprising that bread and bread products play a larger role in the American diet than the European one. I had baked a delicious loaf of cinnamon-oatmeal bread, and Eamon and I ate it together while we talked about differences in bread use between the two cultures. Apparently in China, bread is generally only used in buns, and this bread is smaller and sweeter than what would normally be found in America. This was something that I had no idea about. Our most in-depth event occurred when I took him to the Art Show called “Beautiful Words”. It was a gallery that was put on by someone off campus that celebrated the ‘beautiful words’ of scripture. We went through the main gallery and I explained the significance of each piece (while dining on American snacks no less). However, he was most interested in the permanent collection, where there was an art piece dedicated to the Japanese-Americans Internment during World War